PCA's power surge continues in front of 'second home' crowd

MILWAUKEE – There was a mixed reception for Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong at American Family Field on Saturday night. Brewers fans did what they could to send a chorus of boos raining down from the stands, but the chants that have followed the young star were out in force once again.

The exuberant cries of “P-C-A!” during his at-bats are understandable, as Crow-Armstrong continued his torrid start to this season with another game-changing home run. The center fielder’s three-run shot in the fourth inning Saturday helped propel the North Siders to a 6-2 victory over Milwaukee, claiming a series win in the process.

As far as Crow-Armstrong was concerned, the Cubs fans on hand came out on top, too.

“I didn’t hear any boos,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I’m so impressed with the turnouts that we get over here the last couple years. It’s so fun. It feels like a second home in a sense.”

Crow-Armstrong sure feels at home in the batter’s box right now.

During Friday’s 10-0 romp over the Brewers, the center fielder belted a pair of home runs, including one on a slider from righty reliever Joel Payamps that was just 0.86 feet off the ground, per Statcast. Crow-Armstrong’s fourth-inning blast on Saturday came on a full-count fastball from lefty Jose Quintana that tailed to the outer, upper edge of the zone.

“He’s just hitting everything,” said Cubs starter Jameson Taillon, who held the Brewers to two runs over six innings. “It’s left-on-left fastballs up. Breaking balls down. Righty breaking balls down. Changeups down. It’s not like he’s just doing one thing and hitting mistakes. He’s hitting some really good pitches.”

Crow-Armstrong and Dansby Swanson connected for back-to-back home runs off Quintana in the fourth and Kyle Tucker added a solo blast one frame later. It was another quick-strike attack by a Chicago lineup that has paced the National League in run scoring out of the gates.

The three homers in the past two games for Crow-Armstrong gave him nine on the season, with all of those shots coming within his past 17 games. In that time period, dating back to April 13, the 23-year-old center fielder is leading the Majors in homers.

“The bat speed right now from Pete, it kind of stands out,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “The ball feels like it’s just exploding off his bat.”

Beyond the home runs, Crow-Armstrong’s last 17 games have featured a .343/.353/.866 slash line to go along with six doubles, one triple, 21 RBIs, 15 runs scored and six stolen bases. He is the first Cubs batter to have at least nine homers and 21 RBIs in a 17-game span since Kris Bryant in 2019, and the only hitter in franchise history to hit those marks and have at least six steals, too.

That production, combined with his elite defense in center -- he leads MLB with seven Outs Above Average -- has Crow-Armstrong in a tie with Mets star Pete Alonso and Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. for the highest fWAR (2.2) in the NL. Only Yankees slugger Aaron Judge (3.5) ranks higher at the moment.

“This is star-level production -- no question about it,” Counsell said. “It’s been the power lately. But what great players can do is affect the game in a lot of ways. And Pete has that ability. Some days it’s the defense. Some days it’s the baserunning. But he’s in a good place right now, for sure.”

That showed in Crow-Armstrong’s battle with the veteran Quintana, who entered the night 4-0 with a 1.14 ERA on the campaign.

In the fourth, the Brewers lefty stuck with sinkers and slurves for the first five pitches, working up and down, but staying away at the same time. Crow-Armstrong saw the same two offerings -- though over the heart of the plate -- in their initial meeting in the second, when the center fielder popped out.

With the count full, Quintana turned to his four-seam fastball, elevating it over the outside corner.

“It didn’t look like a terrible pitch,” Counsell said. “Pete put a good swing on it.”

The ball jumped off Crow-Armstrong’s bat at 103.7 mph and soared out to right-center field for the three-run shot.

The Cubs fans in attendance did their part to drown out the scattered boos for the budding star. That said, Crow-Armstrong did get a kick out of hearing the local fans give it to Counsell, the former Brewers manager.

“Counse getting booed every time he comes in, I kind of love it,” Crow-Armstrong said with a laugh. “I’m over here booing him in the dugout, too. We’re so glad we have him. It’s definitely a fun, rowdy environment when we come to play Milwaukee.”