Chicago Cubs outfielder continues hot stretch in big way against the Dodgers

Following a two-game series sweep of the Dodgers on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs look like one of the best teams in all of baseball. The offense has been scoring at a historically high rate and they have had to do so based on the incredibly tough schedule they were given to begin the campaign.

Through 26 games this year, the Cubs have already finished their regular season schedule against the Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Padres before they squared off with a divisional foe. Their first NL Central tilt of the season will be next Tuesday, April 29 on the road at PNC Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The homestand continues on Friday with a three-game series against the Phillies before the team hits the road next week. It’s been Chicago’s offense that has propelled them to a few huge victories early on this year, and one of their young players could be turning into a start before our eyes.

Pete Crow-Armstrong remains on a tear for the Chicago Cubs

Pete Crow-Armstrong collected another multi-hit game in Chicago’s 7-6 win over the Dodgers on Wednesday. The 23-year-old had three hits in each contest of the set and finished the series 6-9 with four runs driven in against the Los Angeles pitching staff.

The former first-round pick hasn’t just seen Dodger pitching well in the shortened series at Wrigley Field. In his last four games against Los Angeles, Crow-Armstrong has a .526 batting average with four home runs, nine runs driven in and an eye-popping 1.895 OPS. Chicago’s centerfield certainly loves hitting against his hometown team and has suddenly put himself into a conversation where the deal worth $75 million in total that he was offered from the Cubs’ front office might not have been enough.

Along with these fantastic numbers when taking on the Dodgers, Crow-Armstrong is 17-36 at the dish in his last nine games, which is good for a .472 batting average. In that same stretch, he has five home runs, 11 runs driven in and a 1.570 OPS. With his second straight game collecting a long ball on Wednesday, Crow-Armstrong tied Corey Patterson in 2003 for second among most home runs hit in March/April by a Cubs player in their age 23 or younger season since 1906 with five home runs.

The Chicago Cubs are hoping more young success is on the way

Crow-Armstrong should give hope to fans when it comes to look at other young faces in the organization. The speedster had a slow start to his big league career and even began the 2024 campaign in Triple-A. If he can have his bat figured out from a consistency standpoint, Chicago could have their answer in centerfield for a long time.

Matt Shaw had a rough go at it when beginning his big league career at the Cubs’ third baseman this year. The organization’s first-round draft choice in 2023 couldn’t get things going at the plate and was sent down to Iowa after 18 games. While this certainly was not ideal, fans should not worry too much yet about his future. If anything, Crow-Armstrong is a prime example of good things needing to take time in order for consistent success in the big leagues.