Pete Crow-Armstrong invites new Cubs' low point that's entirely self-inflicted

It's been an eventful week for the Chicago Cubs and Pete Crow-Armstrong. It started with an incident between Crow-Armstrong and a Chicago White Sox fan on Sunday, and things have spiraled out of control since. The Cubs were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in a series that saw two errors by Crow-Armstrong on consecutive days, as well as an injury scare to Edward Cabrera.

Given the circumstances that have surrounded Crow-Armstrong over the last few days, there's been speculation that a day off may be in order. Beyond what happened between Crow-Armstrong and the fan, he's in the middle of another offensive slump. He's carrying a slash line of .118/.231/.206 with a wRC+ of 33. During that same stretch, Crow-Armstrong is striking out over 30% of the time.

What defenders of Crow-Armstrong have always fell back on is the fact that he's considered to be the best fielder in the game. When all else fails, Crow-Armstrong's defense and speed is the reason he remains in the lineup. It's part of what makes Crow-Armstrong special as a talent.

A new low point was reached on Wednesday night. Crow-Armstrong whiffed while fielding a ball hit by Brewers' third baseman David Hamilton that led to a three-run little league home run. It was a reminder of what has been true since 2018; if the Cubs have a weakness, the Brewers are going to exploit it. Right now, their weakness is Crow-Armstrong.

It's hard to defend Pete Crow-Armstrong right now

It's not just Crow-Armstrong, the entire team looked flat against the Brewers this week. But considering the offensive struggles and errors on consecutive nights, it's led to speculation that Crow-Armstrong could have a day off when the Cubs host the Houston Astros at Wrigley Field on Friday.

Instead, the indication from Craig Counsell is that Crow-Armstrong will be in the lineup. The Cubs have an off day on Thursday, creating an opportunity for the team to move and put this week behind them.

“Look, he made a mistake,” Counsell told reporters. “He made a bad play, and it was a costly play. He missed the ball in front of him. He got his feet kind of caught in between, and then he didn’t know if he wanted to go get it. It’s like an infielder that got caught on an in-between hop. Things happen, and we got to move on.”

At the moment, the Cubs look lost. There doesn't appear to be a clear answer other than the Cubs needing to play better. For a team that says it's a long season and there's no need to overreact, it's hard to believe them, considering they've proven incapable of getting past the Brewers each season.

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