Pete Crow-Armstrong’s blunder has Cubs fans ready to pull their hair out

Friday marked an opportunity for the Chicago Cubs to get their season back on track, hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first game of a three-game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates. While Pete Crow-Armstrong finally showed signs of life offensively, collecting three hits and an RBI, he made a costly baserunning gaffe in the ninth inning.

Situational awareness is something that Crow-Armstrong has lacked during his slump in August, and that was none more clear than when he overslid second base on a steal attempt. Crow-Armstrong was easily tagged out, and the Cubs went down with a whimper to end the game.

Losers of three consecutive series, many have pointed the finger at Jed Hoyer or Craig Counsell as the reason why the season has gone off the rails. For Hoyer, the blame is tied to the fact that he approached the deadline with a lack of urgency. For Counsell, the blame is tied to the fact that he is calm-mannered when speaking with reporters during the team's struggles.

The Hoyer critique certainly carries more weight than the critique of Counsell. However, one thing is clear: that was an awful baseball play by Crow-Armstrong. As Crow-Armstrong has looked lifeless for most of August, it's become clear that the struggles are now impacting the decisions he makes on the field. Decisions that often lead to egregious mistakes like the one he had on Friday afternoon.

Something needs to change with this Cubs team. The Cubs look like a lifeless bunch of players who have no answer for what has plagued them for much of the last two months. There's no doubt that Crow-Armstrong is an emotional player, and when he is right, that carries the team. However, the reason he isn't a superstar yet is that when he is wrong, his emotions often are at the center of his mistakes that cost the team.

Counsell has handled Crow-Armstrong with kid gloves this season, allowing him the space to be the igniter for the Cubs' offense. But the Cubs are spiraling out of postseason contention with each day that passes, and the time for kid gloves is over. Crow-Armstrong's gaffe on Friday simply can't happen. There should be some form of accountability because "PCA being PCA" isn't the right response to Friday's nonsense.

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