{"id":59709,"date":"2025-06-05T09:57:23","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T09:57:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=59709"},"modified":"2025-06-05T09:57:23","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T09:57:23","slug":"cubs-craig-counsell-shares-why-pete-crow-armstrong-is-a-pitchers-best-friend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=59709","title":{"rendered":"Cubs\u2019 Craig Counsell shares why Pete Crow-Armstrong is a \u2018pitcher\u2019s best friend\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>The post Cubs\u2019 Craig Counsell shares why Pete Crow-Armstrong is a \u2018pitcher\u2019s best friend\u2019 appeared first on ClutchPoints.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The Chicago Cubs opened their series against the Washington Nationals with a convincing 8\u20133 win, but they couldn\u2019t carry that momentum into Game 2. In a frustrating 2\u20130 loss on Tuesday night, manager Craig Counsell still found a silver lining in rookie center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>In a post-game interview, Counsell called Crow-Armstrong \u201ca pitcher\u2019s best friend\u201d for the way he consistently changes the game with his defense and baserunning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s a pitcher\u2019s best friend out there. He just grabs outs,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cA lot of times those balls to the wall, that\u2019s an extra-base hit. He\u2019s taking runs off the board for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Crow-Armstrong didn\u2019t deliver at the plate on Wednesday night, but his defense stood out. In the fifth inning, he sprinted into left-center to make a tough running catch that robbed Alex Call of extra bases. The play kept the game scoreless and showed why Counsell values him so highly.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>At the plate, he had two chances against Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore. In the first inning, with the bases loaded, he struck out swinging. Later, in the sixth, he flied out to center. Though he went hitless, his range in the outfield gave Cubs pitchers confidence.<\/p>\n<p>Matthew Boyd started strong on the mound in this game for the Cubs. He retired the first 15 batters of the night and held the Nationals scoreless into the sixth. But in the seventh, Amed Rosario broke the tie with a solo home run. In the eighth, Nasim Nu\u00f1ez added an RBI double that gave Washington a 2\u20130 lead. Boyd finished with 7.1 innings pitched and two earned runs.<\/p>\n<p>Chicago had its chances early. The Cubs loaded the bases in the first inning but failed to score. Gore settled in and struck out eight over seven shutout innings. Cubs hitters went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, Crow-Armstrong joined an elite group with at least 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases before turning 23, a list that includes Barry Bonds and Mike Trout. His all-around game is quickly becoming central to Chicago\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>The loss stings, but with PCA in center, Cubs pitchers know they\u2019ve got a game-changer behind them. As the Cubs look to bounce back in the series finale, all eyes will be on how this young core responds. With Crow-Armstrong leading the charge and the pitching staff gaining confidence, Chicago aims to turn the page fast and finish strong against the Nationals.<\/p>\n<p><em>Related: Cubs\u2019 perfect trade offer for Marlins\u2019 Sandy Alcantara<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Related: Cubs aggressively trying to swing multiple pitching trades<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pete Crow-Armstrong has been a revelation for the Cubs this season both at the plate and in the field on defense.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":59710,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[2130,2129,282,2128,823,2014,2127,1238,439,1086,296],"class_list":["post-59709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-alex-call","tag-amed-rosario","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-counsell","tag-craig-counsell","tag-mackenzie-gore","tag-marquee-sports-network","tag-matthew-boyd","tag-mike-trout","tag-pete-crow-armstrong","tag-washington-nationals"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - 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