PITTSBURGH — Pete Crow-Armstrong was met with “P-C-A” chants from the predominantly Cubs-clad fans behind the visitor’s dugout at PNC Park as he rounded the bases in the sixth inning.
The Cubs’ 4-0 victory over the Pirates on Monday was fueled in part by Crow-Armstrong’s offensive resurgence. He had entered the day on a four-game hitless streak, extending a slump from August into mid-September.
“When you’re killing rallies and not driving in runs you should, impatience tends to build,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I just need to focus more on playing the game — one swing can change everything, whether it’s a jam shot, a bunt, or just a good at-bat — not just trying to hit a homer to fix things.”
Crow-Armstrong, who was putting together a strong MVP-caliber season before his second-half slide, has hinted at a return to form with standout moments: a three-hit game against the Pirates last month, a go-ahead home run in Anaheim to start a three-city road trip, and solid at-bats with two RBIs in Atlanta last week.
Still, none of those performances sparked a sustained hot streak. He entered Monday with a .162 batting average across August and September.
Some regression was expected after the torrid start to the season, which itself built on a strong finish to last year. From the 2024 All-Star break through this year, Crow-Armstrong posted an .806 OPS.
“As I played better this year, my own expectations for myself rose,” Crow-Armstrong said.
This is also Crow-Armstrong’s first full season as an everyday player — an adjustment in itself — and even more experienced hitters experience similar ups and downs.
Four-time All-Star Kyle Tucker endured a nearly two-month slump before an 11-game hot streak that preceded his current stint on the injured list with a strained left calf. Left fielder Ian Happ, one of the Cubs’ hottest hitters recently, had a slow start to the season.
“When you looked at it, you were like, ‘Well, Ian’s going to have a good second half,’” manager Craig Counsell said. “And Ian has had a good second half, while some of our other guys have struggled a little. That’s how a good team functions — you’ve got to take turns driving the bus, so to speak.”
This year, the Cubs’ most potent offense had Crow-Armstrong, Tucker, and Seiya Suzuki behind the wheel. While the latter two were sidelined Monday, Crow-Armstrong put his foot on the gas. The win also trimmed the Cubs’ magic number to three, pending the Giants and Diamondbacks’ late-night game.
“It’s great when he has good nights,” Counsell said. “It’s important for us offensively when he has good nights.”
The scoring started in the third inning with a Michael Busch home run and a run driven in by Nico Hoerner on a wild pitch. But Crow-Armstrong stole the spotlight. He doubled off the wall in the fourth, then stole third and scored on Dansby Swanson’s double before capping the day with a sixth-inning home run.
“When he has a dirty uniform at the end of a game, that’s a good sign,” said right-hander Jameson Taillon, who contributed six innings to the combined shutout. “It’d be awesome to see him locked back in. He’s been putting in a ton of work, showing up early hitting every day. You see the work, and you know everyone’s rooting for him.”
Taillon described the dugout’s reaction to Crow-Armstrong’s home run as “pure joy.”
Whether Monday’s performance is a one-off or a springboard into a playoff peak, Crow-Armstrong is focused on the postseason.
“I’m excited for playoff baseball, when the margin for error is smaller and every out really counts,” Crow-Armstrong said. “It’s all a wash — I’m taking whatever feelings I’ve got that day into the game. So, absolutely, I’m ready to go compete. And let’s keep this s— going.”
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