PCA's homer sends Wrigley into a frenzy in series sweep of Astros |
CHICAGO — Every kid's dream is to make it to the Major Leagues and pick up that first Major League hit. Sometimes, it takes a little bit longer for that hit to come, but once it does, it becomes a moment the player will never soon forget.
Take Pete Crow-Armstrong, for example. He was making his first start with the Chicago Cubs (16-9) since being called up. The top prospect in the Cubs system and a top-20 overall prospect, PCA, things haven't gone smoothly for him, as he was hitting just .203 in Iowa at the time of his promotion. Not to mention an 0-16 slump to begin his MLB career, and PCA couldn't wait for the first hit. Well, the wait is over as PCA not only delivered his first career hit against the Houston Astros (7-19), but delivered in a big way as his two-run blast lifted the Cubs to the Sweep of Houston 3-1 and closed out their homestand at Wrigley Field with a 5-2 record. Coming into this game, you didn't like the Cubs chances as Astros ace Justin Verlander took the ball against the surprising Javier Assad. Verlander made his season debut last time out and pitched very well, while Assad has had the second-best ERA in baseball since entering the rotation last July. As expected, runs were at a premium for both starters as they combined to allow two runs. Verlander had to work much harder than Assad, as he walked four and struck out seven in just 4 1/3 while also allowing three hits. All three hits came from Nico Hoerner, who continues to be the hottest hitter on the team. When it comes to Assad, he would've liked to get the win, but after going toe to toe with Verlander and allowing just one run in 5 2/3 he has to like where his season is going. Assad walked one and struck out five as he continues to prove he is worth a spot in this rotation. The lone run that Assad allowed came in the first inning, as this was the first time the Astros held a lead in this series. That came after a pair of singles from Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman started the game and put the Cubs in a tough spot. Yordan Alverez pushed across the game's first run with a sacrifice fly to give the Astros a 1-0 lead, but that would be it for their offense as Assad was dialed in right from the start. Anytime you are facing a pitcher as good as Verlander, you need to capitalize on the chances you are given, and with Hoerner leading the bottom of the first off with a single, it was the Cubs' turn to try and do some damage. A pair of walks followed that hit to load the bases, but Verlander stood tall and escaped that inning without any damage. The same can be said in the bottom half of the third, with Hoerner starting things off with a leadoff double before the Mike Tauchman walk put a pair of runners on and no outs. Once again, the Cubs came away empty-handed as their frustrating start to the game continued. The Hoerner and Tauchman combo continued to give Verlander fits, with Hoerner picking up his third hit in the bottom half of the fifth with Tauchman adding another walk. Those were the final two hitters Verlander would face as Rafael Montero came into the game and kept the Cubs offense in check again. Despite Assad's dominance most of the game, he did start to run into trouble in the sixth as singles from Bregman and Kyle Tucker had the Astros threatening and forced Craig Counsell to go to his pen. In came Hayden Wesneski, who not only got out of that jam but put on one of the more impressive showings in his young career. Wesneski pitched the Cubs 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, needing just 20 pitches to get it done. What's even more impressive is that 17 of those 20 pitches came as strikes as he continued to pound the zone. With Verlander now out of the game, the Cubs were hoping to break through, and although it took six innings, it's better late than never. Dansby Swanson and Nick Madrigal led the bottom half of the sixth off with a pair of singles to once again put the Cubs in business. That set up the strangest play of the game as Miguel Amaya saw his fly ball land in front of Tucker in right to tie things up 1-1. Madrigal was thrown out at second on the play as he had to wait for the ball to drop. Sometimes, all it takes for an offense to get going is a break like that, as PCA came to bat with a runner on first and one out. Still looking for his first career hit, PCA picked the perfect time to deliver that hit as he connected for a two-run shot off of Bryan Abreu, and just like that, the Cubs led 3-1. First @MLB hit ☑️ The Cubs had a chance to add on in the bottom half of the seventh, but after failing to do so, it would come down to Hector Neris in the ninth to close out the sweep. When you look at the Cubs struggles this season, the bullpen has been one of those struggles, especially in the ninth inning. With Counsell going with a closer-by-committee approach right now, Neris has been his guy lately, but after walking both Alvarez and Tucker to begin the ninth, it was the Cubs on the verge of letting this one get away. Credit Neris for not wavering from his approach as he induced three consecutive grounders to end the game, including a diving stop by Michael Busch at first to record the final out and closed out the sweep of Houston. The Cubs will now head out East for a seven-game trip as they begin their series with the Boston Red Sox tomorrow before getting the Mets on Monday. The fan who caught Pete Crow-Armstrong’s first MLB hit/HR received the bat he used (signed) in exchange for the ball.
First big-league HR ☑️
CUBS LEAD 🙌 pic.twitter.com/2JFe1QQdIt
(📸: @CadenGreco) pic.twitter.com/lAOOQinbQX
