PCA's latest offensive outburst puts Cubs on verge of playoff clinch
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CINCINNATI – Entering Sunday’s finale against the Reds, Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong had a frustrating weekend, going 0-for-10 with four strikeouts over the first two games of the series. But he made up for those difficult days by coming a triple shy of the cycle and helping Chicago pound the Reds, 9-1, at Great American Ball Park.
The victory helped bring the Cubs an inch closer to the postseason, but they need the Yankees to beat the D-backs later Sunday afternoon to officially clinch October baseball. Chicago owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Padres (5-1) and the Phillies (6-1), the two teams below them in the NL Wild Card race, giving them the upper hand to earn home-field advantage for the Wild Card Series starting Sept. 29.
Crow-Armstrong went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs. It all started in the first inning against Reds right-hander Rhett Lowder. Crow-Armstrong singled to right field and then stole second base, putting him two steals shy of the first 40-40 season in Cubs franchise history. He eventually scored on a single by Alex Bregman, who left the game in the fourth after getting hit in the head by a foul ball from teammate Michael Busch.
Chicago scored four runs off Lowder in the third frame, and it was PCA who led the charge. He led off with a double and scored the second run of the game on a single by Ian Happ. It was PCA’s 30th double of the season, making him the 10th player in Major League Baseball history to notch 40-plus homers, 30-plus doubles and 30-plus stolen bases in a season at least once, joining Ronald Acuña Jr., Jeff Bagwell (twice), Ryan Braun, Ellis Burks, Jose Canseco, Shohei Ohtani, Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano and Larry Walker.
Crow-Armstrong later homered in the fifth for his 45th blast of the season, tying him with Kyle Schwarber for the MLB lead.
The Cubs star got one last chance to tally the triple that would complete his cycle in the eighth against Carson Spiers, but he popped up to shortstop Elly De La Cruz for the first out of the inning.