Pete Crow-Armstrong did it again.
A day after hitting three home runs in a 17-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds, the Chicago Cubs’ slugger posted another multi-home-run effort on Sunday. This time, it didn’t lead to a win.
Crow-Armstrong’s second home run on Sunday cut Chicago’s deficit to two runs in what ended up a 7-5 Reds victory. But another remarkable day at the plate gave him five home runs in two days and further bolstered Crow-Armstrong’s case in what’s turning into a heated MVP race with Shohei Ohtani in the National League.
On Sunday, Crow-Armstrong immediately picked up where he left off after Saturday’s three-home-run outburst. He turned on a 99-mph, full-count fastball from Chase Burns to lead off the bottom of the first inning with a home run deposited into the right-field bleachers at Wrigley Field. The blast gave the Cubs an early 1-0 lead. It marked PCA’s fourth home run in seven at-bats.
Reds batters eventually responded with six runs off Cubs starter Shota Imanaga in the fourth and fifth innings, and Cincinnati carried a 7-4 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
Then Crow-Armstrong did his best to spark a rally. With two outs, he sent another ball into the right-field bleachers for his second home run of the game.
But the Cubs didn’t score again, and the Reds left Chicago with a 2-1 series victory.
With his fifth home run in two days, Crow-Armstrong’s season tally stands at 38, two behind MLB leader Kyle Schwarber (40) and eight ahead of Ohtani (30). Crow-Armstrong leads the National League in WAR, slugging percentage, OPS and total bases.
With Sunday’s effort, Crow-Armstrong is slashing .283/.377/.577 with a .954 OPS, 91 RBI and 32 stolen bases in addition to his 38 home runs. He’s doing this for for a 77-60 Cubs team that finished Sunday tied with the Phillies for the top wild-card spot in the National League.
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