It’s hard to remember the Chicago Cubs were 11 games over .500 in mid-June 2021, looking like a team on a mission to avoid a fire sale. But that’s exactly what happened, of course, and after team President Jed Hoyer’s summer sell-off led to a 91-loss season, the new-look Cubs started this season with several fresh faces and lowered expectations. Whether it was a rebuild, a re-do or a retro version of a mid-1990s Cubs team, there was no pressure to get off to a great start. And without any expectations, there was no angst Friday over a mediocre 8-12 record after the Cubs dropped the opener of a…
