Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell and hitting coach Dustin Kelly have praised rookie center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong for the quality at-bats he has produced of late, each expressing hope that the 22-year-old might have turned a corner at the plate.
Crow-Armstrong showed more signs of that Saturday, ripping an RBI triple, but that was overshadowed by his rare defensive mistake in a crucial moment.
The St. Louis Cardinals rallied to tie the game with three runs in the eighth inning, the final two coming home on Nolan Arenado’s two-out bloop single that fell out of Crow-Armstrong’s reach, then won it in the ninth, stunning the Cubs 5-4 at Wrigley Field.
On the key play in the eighth, Crow-Armstrong called off second baseman Nico Hoerner, who appeared to be camped under Arenado’s popup. Crow-Armstrong then failed to make a sliding catch, allowing the tying runs to score.
“I called it when I shouldn’t have, simple as that,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I know better. I just did a poor job checking for (Hoerner). I think that’s just me needing to slow the game down or slow that play down.”
Hoerner said he deferred to Crow-Armstrong — the center fielder typically has the power to take command in that situation.
“It’s the play we’ve all practiced our whole lives as far as the rules of it where as an infielder you go until you hear something,” Hoerner said. “We did that (Saturday) and unfortunately the ball dropped. I feel like if we do that play 100 times, we catch it 99 times.”
That mistake came a play after a two-out error by third baseman Isaac Paredes, who sailed a throw well beyond the reach of first baseman Michael Busch on an infield single by Brendan Donovan, allowing a run to score and the tying runs to move to second and third.
The Cardinals (57-54) completed the comeback when Tommy Pham led off the ninth inning with a triple off Héctor Neris — Ian Happ just missed making a spectacular catch leaping into the left-field well — and scored on Lars Nootbaar’s sacrifice fly.
With that, the Cubs (54-59) saw their three-game winning streak come to an end, spoiling a strong outing from Jameson Taillon, who allowed just one run in six innings.
Hoerner, though, said the mix-up would not alter his faith in Crow-Armstrong.
“If there’s anything I can emphasize it’s that play is all about trust and I trust Pete as much as anyone I’ve ever played with,” Hoerner said. “He’s one of the best defenders, if not the best defender, I’ve ever been around.
“He’s going to win us countless games this year and for years to come. He’s been playing great all-around baseball. That one dropped but if we get that same ball tomorrow and he calls it, I trust him 100%.”
Crow-Armstrong, nonetheless, said he needed to be better.
“I’m appreciative of (what Hoener said) but I think we’re past the point of giving me a little leash there,” he said. “I definitely appreciate that from my teammates and I’d say the same thing to Nico because that was definitely his ball.”
The Cubs built a 4-1 lead in the second inning as Michael Busch hit a two-run homer, his 15th, in the first, while Crow-Armstrong delivered his RBI triple in the second and scored on a squeeze bunt from Miguel Amaya.
Before the game, Kelly explained how a mechanical adjustment has resulted in better plate appearances from Crow-Armstrong, whom Kelly said is using a bit of a leg kick and focusing on staying behind the baseball after Kelly went through a drill with the rookie following a conversation in Kansas City, Mo., that included input from Cody Bellinger.
“The results have been really good,” Kelly said. “The results, batting-average-wise, haven’t really shown up, but if you look at the quality at-bats and what he’s doing, attacking balls to the pull side and to the opposite field, it seems like that mechanical change might stick for a while.”
As for the defensive side of things, Taillon said he did not want Saturday’s miscue to alter how Crow-Armstrong plays.
“Pete’s been pretty awesome on defense,” Taillon said. “The thing I would say to him is I don’t want him to ever feel timid going after balls and stuff. Just because this one instance happened doesn’t mean you don’t try to be a ballhawk out there and make every play.
“He’s going to get a bunch more opportunities. He’s fun to watch run down balls in the gap and stuff. You just hope he stays aggressive and still wants every ball he sees up in the air.”
