The sixth inning Monday at Wrigley Field epitomized the type of havoc the Chicago Cubs’ offense can generate.
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s power display has deservedly garnered attention over the last three weeks, hitting as many home runs (nine) as singles in his last 19 games. His speed and baserunning instincts, though, are at the root of Crow-Armstrong’s budding stardom: The 23-year-old can create chaos on base.
Crow-Armstrong’s presence and speed caused the San Francisco Giants to commit two errors in the sixth, and combined with the lineup’s season-long stellar approach at the plate, fueled the Cubs’ five-run frame to turn a slim lead into a 9-2 win.
Left-hander Matthew Boyd delivered another quality start by holding the Giants to two runs in six innings.
Carson Kelly opened the five-run sixth inning with his eighth home run. After reaching on a single, Crow-Armstrong’s quick approach to second base on Nico Hoerner’s grounder caused shortstop Willy Adames to fire the ball past second baseman Christian Koss, allowing the runners to advance to second and third. The ensuing play again defensively broke down for the Giants when Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman bungled the ground ball off Dansby Swanson’s bat as Crow-Armstrong’s presence at third and deke home coincided with the mishandle.
“It’s incredible, I mean, you see it today, putting pressure on other teams could lead to some errors and can start a rally,” Kelly said. “I think that’s what’s so dynamic about this team is we have it in all different aspects.”
The Cubs (22-14) cashed in on the miscues thanks to a Nicky Lopez bases-loaded walk, Ian Happ’s sacrifice fly and Seiya Suzuki’s two-run single. They tallied six unearned runs in the victory off four Giants errors.
“Capitalizing on any opportunity, I think, is the biggest thing,” said Happ, who hit a two-run home run in the third. “It’s not always going to be as easy as a bunch of base hits and doubles and homers and things coming together like that. Sometimes you have to take advantage of mistakes. We’ve done a really good job with that this year, done a really good job of whether it’s putting pressure on with the baserunning or two-out RBIs, hitting with some guys in scoring position, the little things like that, just consistently putting pressure on defenses and opposing staffs, we’ve done that through and through.”
When the Cubs do get pitches around the zone, they have been among the best at creating contact. Their 77.3% contract rate heading into Monday’s series opener ranked second-best in the majors.
“By and large, we’ve continued to make good decisions and force guys in the strike zone, and I think it’s been a really good team offense in that regard,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Monday. “There’s a good game plan going into the game, and I think guys stick to it, and they’ve been forcing guys into the strike zone so that’s been probably the most impressive thing. As one guy cools off, hopefully another guy steps up.”
