Clutch gene: Once again, PCA saves Cubs from certain defeat
There should be an easy fix for this extended Cubs slump. Just point to Pete Crow-Armstrong and tell the rest of the players to follow his lead.
PCA once again played the role of single-handed game-saver Saturday. He delivered two solo home runs, the second with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, setting up a 3-2 Cubs victory over San Francisco in 10 at Wrigley Field.
The winning run technically scored on a Michael Busch walk-off single, but there wasn't an RBI, since pinch-runner Dansby Swanson was stopping at third base until the ball got past the Giants right fielder for an error. The Cubs have an MLB-best eight walk-off wins this season. Their only walk-off loss was the Edgar Quero home run against the White Sox.
“It's not a stat you try to lead the league in,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “It's entertaining. It's tough on the manager. I say tough, but it's fun. So if that's the way it's going to go, we'll sign up for more.”
On Thursday, Crow-Armstrong capped a 4-run, ninth-inning rally against the Athletics with the winning RBI and earlier homered in that game. A few weeks ago, he belted a ninth-inning, tying home run against the Reds. That's a fair amount of clutch hitting.
“I usually just remember hitting home plate,” PCA said when asked to describe those moments. “Running around the bases, that's a blur for sure, but it's special and super cool to be able to do.”
During this 11-game hitting streak, Crow-Armstrong is batting .365 with 5 home runs. He went 4-for-5 on Saturday, and the 2 home runs were the Cubs' only scoring until the 10th.
Maybe it seems a little strange how he's snapped out of a slump, while so many other Cubs remain stuck in whiff mode. But he doesn't see it that way.
“Michael was the first guy,” Crow-Armstrong said. “Michael's been kind of carrying us since the Sox series. I was just following his lead, and it's not like Happer (Ian Happ) slowed down all that much.”
Crow-Armstrong's surge began right around the same time he was moved to the top of the batting order. He'll hit second at times against a left-handed starting pitcher, but he's essentially been the leadoff hitter since May 23 against Houston.
PCA didn't have much of an explanation for that, either.
“I should be able to have that same sort of focus and conviction when I'm hitting in the eight, nine hole,” he said. “So I don't know.”
This game was scoreless until the sixth inning. Cubs starter Ben Brown allowed just 1 hit, but was pulled after 87 pitches with one out in the top of the sixth. That move backfired when the next hitter, Rafael Devers, homered against reliever Caleb Thielbar.
Brown had no issue with leaving the mound, since there were two left-handed hitters coming to the plate. PCA's first home run knotted the score in the bottom of the inning, anyway.
“Ben was just done,” Counsell said. “This is a reliever we're transitioning to a starter and his health over the course of the season is going to be the priority. We're going to be too soon than too late with Ben.”
Until he stepped in as a pinch-runner, Swanson got the day off, and Counsell suggested another will follow. The Cubs shortstop is hitting just .148 over the past 24 games. This has been a common tactic for Counsell, choosing to give slumping hitters a few days to reset. It has worked at times.
“Trying to get him a little bit of a break mentally,” Counsell said. “The things he's working on doing, we think are good things and the right things. You haven't seen many signs of positive results from it.”
Reliever Ryan Rolison (5-1) kept the Giants off the scoreboard in the top of the 10th. Before the game the Cubs called up pitcher Javier Assad but didn't use him. Ethan Roberts was sent to Iowa.