Pete Crow-Armstrong will be hard-pressed to hit for the cycle again this season, never mind in reverse order in his first four at-bats as he did Monday night.
But the Chicago Cubs won’t mind as long as he maintains the focus he displayed in his final at-bat.
The Cubs will look to build upon a walk-off win Tuesday night when they host the Colorado Rockies in the middle contest of a three-game series.
Edward Cabrera (4-3, 4.86 ERA) is slated to start for Chicago on Tuesday against fellow right-hander Ryan Feltner (2-2, 5.20) for Colorado.
Crow-Armstrong hit for the cycle before he made up for a pivotal base-running mistake by sparking a comeback with an eighth-inning sacrifice fly in the Cubs’ 5-4 win on Monday.
Crow-Armstrong led off the game with a homer, tripled in the third inning, doubled in the fifth and singled in the seventh for the first cycle of the season in the majors. It’ s also the first cycle by a Cubs player at Wrigley Field since Mark Grace on May 9, 1993.
But with the Cubs clinging to a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning, Crow-Armstrong was picked off by Rockies pitcher Brennan Bernardino before the latter threw a pitch to Alex Bregman.
Colorado rookie Cole Carrigg belted a three-run homer in the eighth before the Cubs began inching back in the bottom half of the inning. With two on and one out, Crow-Armstrong recorded a sacrifice fly to right to plate Matt Shaw.
“I think that’s where there’s been improvement from Pete,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “To control your emotions and not try to be the hero — I think that’s the growth that’s exciting to see.”
The Cubs completed their rally in the ninth inning, when they took advantage of a single, a throwing error by Rockies pitcher Juan Mejia and three walks, including Shaw’s walk-off free pass against Seth Halvorsen.
“I absolutely put up great at-bats tonight, and I’m proud of the work that I’ve done and the production that I’ve helped have over the last few weeks,” said Crow-Armstrong, who is batting a robust .453 (29-of-64) with seven homers and 11 RBIs in his last 15 games.
“But you saw tonight, the game’s not over ’til it’s over.”
The Rockies learned that the hard way over the final two innings Monday, when closer candidates Victor Vodnik, Mejia and Halvorsen combined to issue five of Colorado’s season-high nine walks.
Halvorsen, Vodnik and Mejia combined for 22 of the Rockies’ 29 saves last season, while Vodnik (four saves) and Mejia (three saves) have combined for half of Colorado’s 14 saves this year.
The bullpen struggles are a familiar tale for Colorado, which has the worst record in the majors at 27-46 but is just 16 wins shy of matching its total from last season.
Rockies relievers have a 5.24 ERA while averaging 3.8 walks per nine innings this year. The Colorado bullpen combined for a 5.18 ERA while averaging 3.9 walks per nine innings in 2025.
“You’re trying to support them to show up tomorrow, ready to roll,” said Rockies starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen, who gave up one run over five innings Monday night. “Get back out there. You’re going to have nights like tonight. That doesn’t define who you are.”
Cabrera and Feltner will oppose each other for the second straight start. Cabrera earned the win in Colorado last Thursday, when he allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings in the Cubs’ 9-3 victory. Feltner took the loss after giving up six runs over 4 1/3 innings.
Cabrera is 2-2 with a 4.05 ERA in five career starts against the Rockies. Feltner is 1-1 with an 8.38 ERA in two starts versus the Cubs.
–Field Level Media
