Pete Crow-Armstrong's misplay in center pushes Cubs to 5-4 loss to Cardinals

The Cubs believe in Pete Crow-Armstrong’s defensive ability in center field. They see his speed and aggression and picture a future with him being one of the best fielders in the sport.

Before that occurs, there is still much for Crow-Armstrong to absorb. He got a harsh lesson in the Cubs’ 5-4 loss Saturday to the Cardinals, a defeat that snuffs out the little momentum they had.

The Cubs led St. Louis by 4-2 in the top of the eighth, though the Cardinals had runners on second and third and two outs. Nolan Arenado popped up a Porter Hodge pitch to short center and second baseman Nico Hoerner peeled off once Crow-Armstrong called for the ball.

Crow-Armstrong couldn’t make the play, and the game was tied.

“Frankly, we had a play to get out of the inning and Pete got a little over-aggressive,” manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s right to call him off but not if we’re making a sliding play. It’s a learning experience for Pete but unfortunately it contributed to a big play in the game that ultimately cost us two runs.”

Crow-Armstrong agreed with Counsell’s evaluation of the play.

“I called it when I shouldn’t have,” Crow-Armstrong said. “Simple as that.”

Hoerner and the Cubs still had Crow-Armstrong’s back after the game. Hoerner said he trusts Crow-Armstrong as much as anyone he’s ever played with and said the young outfielder is one of the best defender’s he’s ever been around.

“He’s going to win us countless games this year and for years to come,” Hoerner said.

Standing in front of his locker postgame, Crow-Armstrong was told what Hoerner and others said about him. They don’t want him to change his game, but to continue commanding the outfield in center.

It was only some consolation to Crow-Armstrong.

“I’m appreciate of that, but I think we’re past the point of giving me a little leash there,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I definitely appreciate that from my teammates. I’d say the same thing to Nico because that was his ball.”

Prior to the eighth inning, Saturday looked like the Cubs’ game.

They led 4-1 and were six outs from their fourth straight win, including the first three of the series with St. Louis. Then Hodge walked Alec Burleson and hit Willson Contreras, and the defense turned sloppy.

Just before Crow-Armstrong’s mistake, the Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan hit a high chopper to Cubs third baseman Isaac Paredes. With no chance to get Donovan, Paredes threw wildly to first, allowing a run to score and move runners to second and third.

“Just trying to make a play on probably a ball he should have eaten,” Counsell said. “There was no out there.”

With each passing day, there’s less and less chance the Cubs rally to reach the playoffs.

Per FanGraphs, the Cubs had only a 6.6% chance to make the playoffs entering Saturday, still trying to reverse a disappointing and underachieving first four months of the year. To have any opportunity to overcome those numbers, the Cubs must finish games like Saturday.

After jumping out to a 4-1 lead through two innings, the Cubs offense could have put the game out of reach. Instead, the lineup went silent the rest of the way against the Cardinals’ Kyle Gibson and two relievers.

The defense then couldn’t get the Cubs out of trouble in the eighth in a game that turned quickly.

“Baseball’s a weird game; it can happen really fast at this level,” starter Jameson Taillon said. “It can feel like you’re outplaying a team an entire game and then a big swing here, a lucky break somewhere else can completely flip it.”