Pete Crow-Armstrong did it again.
A day after hitting three home runs in a 17-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds, the Chicago Cubs slugger posted another multi-home run effort Sunday. Only this time, it didn’t lead to a win.
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Crow-Armstrong’s second home run of the day managed to cut Chicago’s deficit to two runs in what ended in a 7-5 Reds win. But another remarkable day at the plate gave him five home runs in two days and further bolstered Crow-Armstrong’s case in what’s turning into a runaway MVP case past Shohei Ohtani in the National League.
Crow-Armstrong immediately picked up where he left off from Saturday’s three-home run outburst. He turned on a 99 mph full-count fastball from Chase Burns to lead off the bottom of the first inning with a home run that he deposited into the right-field bleachers at Wrigley Field.
The blast gave the Cubs an early 1-0 lead. It marked his fourth home run in a span of seven at-bats.
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Reds batters eventually responded with six runs off Cubs starter Shota Imanaga in the fourth and fifth innings, and Cincinnati carried a 7-4 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
There, Crow-Armstrong did his best to spark a rally. With two outs, he sent another ball into the right-field bleachers for his second home run of the game. But the Cubs wouldn’t score again, and the Reds leave Chicago with a 2-1 series victory.
But the effort will do nothing to dampen Crow-Armstrong’s remarkable run to take control of the MVP race.
With his fifth home run in two days, Crow-Armstrong’s season-long tally now stands at 38, two behind MLB leader Kyle Schwarber’s 40 and eight ahead of Ohtani’s 30. Crow-Armstrong entered Sunday leading the NL in WAR, slugging percentage, OPS and total bases.
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With Sunday’s effort, Crow-Armstrong is slashing .283/.377/.577 with a .954 OPS, 91 RBI and 32 stolen bases in addition to his 38 home runs. He’s done so for a 77-60 Cubs team that left Sunday tied with the Phillies for top wild-card spot in the NL.
It’s difficult at this point of the season to fathom Crow-Armstrong surrendering his lead in the MVP race.
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