MESA, Ariz. — Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong took some time during the offseason to improve his golf game.

‘‘It was good, and then it was bad,’’ Crow-Armstrong told the Sun-Times. ‘‘It’s pretty bad right now, but I’ve been playing a little bit. I got a lot better, considering the prior circumstances to my golf game. I can get around the course now.’’

His golf game mirrors the rhythms of his rookie season: some highs, some lows. As Crow-Armstrong enters what essentially will be his second season, he said he’s trying to get the extremes out of his game.

‘‘This offseason was focused on consistency,’’ he said.

After being called up from Triple-A Iowa early last season to fill in for injured Cody Bellinger in center field, Crow-Armstrong returned to the minors for a 10-day stint before being summoned to the majors for good. Overall, he slashed .255/.299/.509 in 26 minor-league games last season.

But big-league success eluded Crow-Armstrong in the first half of last season, during which he slashed .203/.253/.329. After claiming an everyday spot in July, however, Crow-Armstrong excelled for the rest of the season. From July 27 on, he slashed .289/.336/.469. He also cut down his strikeout rate during that stretch.

Crow-Armstrong, a Gold Glove-caliber defender, credited the consistent playing time with his uptick in productivity. Minimizing his rough stretches at the plate is the next step in his offensive development.

‘‘That was hugely important, having the time to suck and kind of figure it out and then suck again,’’ Crow-Armstrong said. ‘‘It was just a good taste of what my career is gonna look like. Now it’s kind of just about shortening those tough stints. I have a plethora of information going into Year 2, and I am very confident about that.’’

Finding that balance is tricky for the team and the player. The Cubs are in a window of playoff contention, so giving a developing player the leeway to struggle can be tough. Manager Craig Counsell said just seeing their name on the lineup card is the ‘‘ultimate vote of confidence’’ for players.

‘‘You’re always trying to keep your head on the big picture,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘When you’re young and trying to figure the league out, you think everything that happens is the biggest deal in the world.

‘‘All these guys have experienced some version of failure. Processing it at the big-league level is just a little bit harder. It’s all of our jobs — players, coaches, myself — to help them through it the best way we can.’’

Braves 13, Cubs 4

The Cubs went with a bullpen game in the opener of a two-game series against the Braves to end spring training.

• It was a rough afternoon for veteran reliever Ryan Brasier, who allowed four runs on three home runs and managed to get only one out. Cubs pitchers allowed 16 hits, and the Braves generated a lot of hard contact.

• Infielder Gage Workman continued his strong spring with a two-run homer in the second inning.

• On deck: Braves at Cubs, 3:05 p.m. Tuesday, Mesa, TBA vs. Ben Brown (1-1, 6.75 ERA).