Cardinals shut down by PCA-Brown tandem

ST. LOUIS -- The most shocking celebration performed by Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong against the Cardinals this weekend at Busch Stadium wasn’t one that happened on second base following either of his doubles to this point in the series.

In a Cards-Cubs moment for the annals on Saturday night, the incendiary center fielder turned the tables on Tarps Off.

In the age of aura, Crow-Armstrong managed to turn thunderous chants of “Overrated!” directly into a mammoth home run, swatted straight into the specific section from which the cheeky cheers emanated.

He capped off the Statcast-projected 444-foot blast with a wicked celebration befitting the rivalry, casually turning the Tarps Off energy against Cardinals fans by twirling an imaginary rally cloth above his head as he rounded first base.

Tarps off giveth. Tarps off taketh away.

Saturday night, it took from the Cardinals, who fell to the Cubs, 6-1, in a game that devolved late as the St. Louis bullpen permitted five Chicago runs across the final four innings.

To the red-clad fans amid a crowd of fiercely split allegiances, PCA’s night of villainy carried all the way to the final out, when Crow-Armstrong made a sliding grab in the left-center-field gap to end the game.

“Shoot, I mean, he had a crazy day today,” Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt said of Crow-Armstrong’s 4-for-5 effort. “Hearing the crowd engaged and just, the boos, the hollering, all that type of stuff -- it’s cool to be a part of.”

On the night of a Game 7 in professional basketball, Crow-Armstrong and Chicago starter Ben Brown ran something of a two-man game to power the Cubs past the Cardinals.

Brown breezed through a career-high seven innings, allowing just one run while benefitting from a microscopic pitch count that surprised even the lone Cardinal who managed multiple hits against him.

“His stuff was good,” Wetherholt said. “I remember, I think, going up to my third at-bat against him, I figured he’d be in the 70, 80 range -- and I think I saw, like, 50s or 60s. I thought, dang. That’s not where we want to be.

“Kind of just got to tip your cap to him. But we’ll take notes on that and just hopefully be better for the next time we see him.”

After whittling his ERA down to 1.92 on Saturday, Brown looks like a different pitcher than the one the Cardinals pummeled for eight earned runs in their only previous meeting against him on June 23, 2025.

The Cardinals’ aggression against Brown played into his hand, as he needed just 27 pitches to get through the lineup across the first three innings.

“The plan was to be on the attack. It didn’t work,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “He did a nice job against us tonight.”

It’s arguable that an awkward defensive swing by Iván Herrera in the fourth inning is the only reason the Cardinals scratched off even the one run they got against Brown.

After Wetherholt singled to lead off the inning, Herrera produced an unintentionally brilliant swinging bunt, advancing the Cardinals' first baserunner of the night into scoring position.

Alec Burleson cashed in for an RBI hit before making an out on the bases. Considering the difficulty of gauging how close a play at the plate might have been in a scoreless game, Burleson’s decision to break for second was one that Marmol didn’t mind.

“I joked with him, it’s a combination of the catcher’s arm, his speed, it didn’t work out at second,” Marmol said. “But as far as the read, it’s the right read.”

A Crow-Armstrong double in the top of the fifth inning put Cardinals starter Kyle Leahy in a difficult spot as a dangerous part of the Chicago batting order loomed. Still, Leahy kept making pitches, getting Nico Hoerner to ground out, but advancing Crow-Armstrong to third.

That’s when the Cardinals’ attitude of aggression on defense led to an early end to Leahy’s day. The infield-in strategy didn’t produce the result as a Michael Busch ground ball found a hole. Crow-Armstrong scored the tying run, sending Marmol to the mound to get Leahy.

But Leahy wasn’t blaming the defensive alignment for his early exit.

“The 0-2 pitch to Busch needs to be better executed,” Leahy said. “I know that if the ball is hit right at somebody, maybe we’re patting me on the back and saying good pitch, but obviously, it went through a hole. So, 0-2, you don’t want to leave it that much over the plate, is all I can say there.”