Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman disappeared when the Cubs needed them most

If the Chicago Cubs were going to pull off a miracle act against the San Diego Padres this week, it was likely going to be due to the efforts of Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman. Crow-Armstrong is likely going to be the National League MVP, and Bregman has arguably been the best hitter since the All-Star break, but both disappeared during the Wild Card series.

Crow-Armstrong was hitless across his eight plate appearances against the Padres, striking out four times. It was as if Crow-Armstrong reverted to the version of himself that Cubs fans saw at the beginning of the season, and most of his plate appearances weren't competitive. Adding to that reality, Crow-Armstrong only walked once in the two games against the Padres.

Like Crow-Armstrong, Bregman was also hitless through eight appearances, and struck out four times. For all the talk about what Bregman's resurgent second-half meant for the Cubs and potentially could mean for their playoff win, it was quickly erased during the Wild Card series.

Cubs needed their stars to save the Wild Card series but Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman vanished

In Bregman's case, it's should be mentioned that he is still recovering from multiple facial fractures. The Cubs are at their best with Bregman in the lineup, and his four-hit, two-homer effort last Sunday suggested he was ready, but the results over the Wild Card series suggest otherwise.

It was the worst-possible outcome for the Cubs. Given the questions that surrounded their pitching staff, the Cubs' offense was going to be the reason why they were successful against the Padres. Instead, as has been the case for most of last two weeks, the offense disappeared. It starts with Crow-Armstrong and Bregman at the start of the lineup. If those two aren't hitting and getting on base, it's hard to point to a path where the offense will be potent.

The "I told you so" crowd is certainly going to come out for Crow-Armstrong, and this is just one of those instances where he will need to wear it. Crow-Armstrong is still going to be the MVP, there's no changing that, but he had a bad series. That doesn't mean the version of Crow-Armstrong the Cubs saw over the last two days is who they will have next season, but it should be a reminder that the version of PCA that the Cubs saw for most of the regular season is not guaranteed to be what's had next season.

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