Pete Crow-Armstrong shook off a quiet start to the Cincinnati series with the kind of afternoon that can change the temperature of a clubhouse. The Cubs center fielder went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, two RBIs and a stolen base as Chicago rolled past the Reds, 9-1, in the Sunday finale at Great American Ball Park.
After opening the series 0-for-10 with four strikeouts, Crow-Armstrong reached base in the first inning with a single off Cincinnati right-hander Rhett Lowder and promptly stole second. The swipe moved him within two steals of becoming the first Cubs player to produce a 40-homer, 40-steal season.
Alex Bregman brought Crow-Armstrong home with a base hit later in the inning, setting Chicago on its way. Bregman’s afternoon ended in the fourth when he was struck in the head by a foul ball hit by teammate Michael Busch.
Crow-Armstrong powers a four-run third
The Cubs broke the game open with four runs in the third, and Crow-Armstrong was again at the center of the rally. He opened the inning by driving a double, his 30th of the season, and came around to score on Ian Happ’s single.
That double placed Crow-Armstrong in rare company. He became the 10th player in Major League history to record at least 40 home runs, 30 doubles and 30 stolen bases in a season. The group includes Ronald Acuña Jr., Jeff Bagwell, Ryan Braun, Ellis Burks, Jose Canseco, Shohei Ohtani, Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano and Larry Walker. Bagwell accomplished the feat twice.
Crow-Armstrong added another big swing in the fifth, launching his 45th homer of the year. The blast drew him even with Kyle Schwarber for the Major League lead.
He entered the eighth needing a triple to finish the cycle, but Carson Spiers retired him on a popup handled by Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz.
October picture comes closer
The lopsided win pushed Chicago nearer to a postseason berth, though the Cubs still needed the Yankees to defeat the Diamondbacks later Sunday to make their place in October official.
Chicago holds the head-to-head edge over both clubs immediately behind it in the National League Wild Card race: 5-1 against the Padres and 6-1 against the Phillies. Those tiebreakers give the Cubs a valuable advantage in their push to host the Wild Card Series, scheduled to begin Sept. 29.
For one afternoon in Cincinnati, though, the larger standings picture came with a simple reminder of why the Cubs have stayed in position: when Crow-Armstrong gets the game moving, the lineup can turn a difficult weekend into a nine-run answer.
