Cubs Week In Review: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Rotation Keep First NL Wild Card Dreams Alive

Image courtesy of © Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Playoff baseball is special, but anyone lucky enough to have walked through the gates of Wrigley Field knows it’s just a bit more special on the North Side of Chicago. Locked in a back-and-forth battle with the Phillies for the top Wild Card spot in the National League, September kicked off with the Cubs playing their most important baseball to date.

Since taking the reins of the Milwaukee Brewers in the wake of Craig Counsell’s departure to Chicago, Pat Murphy has been quite greedy with his stranglehold on the National League Central division. But that didn’t stop the Cubbies from landing a couple of good jabs in the opening contest of their four-game set with Milwaukee. Backed by a record-setting day from his offense, staff ace Clay Holmes largely cruised through six frames of scoreless ball. The Cubs’ lineup produced offense early and often, including a three-home run day from Alex Bregman. In total, the Cubbies went on to bash a franchise-record nine long balls in a 17-3 drubbing of Milwaukee.

Decidedly more modest offensive presence and a blow-up from Chicago’s bullpen allowed the Crew to get even in the second game of this series. Tied 3-3 in the sixth, suddenly beleaguered reliever Daniel Palencia surrendered a no-doubter two-run shot to Christian Yelich. The Crew would then tack on two more runs in both the seventh and eighth while the home team’s muscle at the plate all but vanished after getting out to a 3-0 lead, falling 9-4.

While generational talents like Pete Crow-Armstrong roam the Chicago clubhouse, Milwaukee outfielder Jackson Chourio reminded the North Side faithful that his club can hang with anyone. Check the box score yourself to see his four-hit day, including a homer off of starter David Peterson. The Cubs’ starter labored from the jump, lasting only 3 2/3 innings and coughing up six earned runs with as many walks as strikeouts. The 9-5 loss put the Cubbies behind the eight ball, hoping to salvage a split the following day in the series’ finale.

And fortunately, an outstanding performance from Kevin Gausman ensured that was the case in this critical “get right” game for the North Siders. The former Blue Jay dazzled, lasting seven innings and punching out nine Brewers. Likely National League MVP Crow-Armstrong provided the only offense his squad needed in this one, a two-run blast to the basket in straightaway center field. Even more heartening still, the bullpen earned a measure of redemption with Zeferjahn and Rolison both pitching crisp, scoreless innings for the Cubs. The North Siders prevailed in a 2-1 thriller.

Leaving home with a better taste in their mouths, the Cubbies then took their talents to South Beach to square off with the feisty Miami Marlins. A refocused Shota Imanaga toed the rubber for Chicago in the first of this three-game weekend series. The lefty spun six innings of one-run ball, getting backed up by both a capable offense and a stunning, leaping catch in deep center field by Crow-Armstrong. The web gem was just the latest in a virtually endless stream of highlights for the 24-year-old. The Cubs took the opener 6-1.

Michael Conforto helped guarantee that Javier Assad’s return to the big-league club was a memorable one, launching Chicago’s 200^th home run of the season. The aforementioned Assad had visible rust to shake off in what was far from his best outing of the year. He walked five Marlins in 4 2/3 innings, giving up three earned runs in the process. As it did earlier in the week versus Milwaukee, the bullpen showed up when it was needed, helping the Cubbies hold one for a 6-5 victory. The series win was the first since mid-August, during the Cubs’ Crosstown tilt against the White Sox.

In perhaps his most disappointing start since he joined the squad at the trade deadline, Clay Holmes and the Cubs fell in a deflating 10-3 loss to Miami in the finale. The North Side lineup cobbled together seven hits of no real consequence in a 0-7 day with runners in scoring position. The silver lining? The baseball world got to witness Pete Crow-Armstrong become the first Cub since Derek Lee in 2005 swat his 40^th homer of the year. It’s hard to predict how far the Cubs could go in the postseason, but the proceedings will certainly be better with PCA as a participant.

With the days of regular season baseball waning, it’s up to this capable squad on the North Side of Chicago to tap into a consistent brand of baseball. That they’re stymied by a lackluster, shaky bullpen at this point in the campaign is certainly alarming, though they have enough of everything else to make up for it.