The spotlight is burning bright on Pete Crow-Armstrong as the Chicago Cubs prepare for their pivotal matchup against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. With the first pitch set for 6:40 p.m. ET, fans tuning in on FDSOH, MARQ, or streaming via Fubo are eager to see if Crow-Armstrong’s recent resurgence at the plate can continue and propel the Cubs deeper into postseason contention.
September baseball is always about the numbers, but for Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs, it’s also about the narrative of perseverance, mentorship, and timing. The Cubs have clinched a playoff spot, yet a curious drought lingers: no Cubs player has driven in more than 100 runs in a season since Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo accomplished the feat back in 2018. As the 2025 season winds down, Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki are leading the charge with 90 and 91 RBIs respectively, but both have cooled off since August, casting a shadow of uncertainty over their chase for triple digits.
“I’m guilty of this, too,” veteran first baseman Justin Turner admitted when discussing the mental grind of a late-season slump. “When you’re younger, you get so caught up in the microscope of how things feel today or in the moment. And it feels like the weight of the world’s on his shoulders. But if you zoom out, and you look at the totality of the season that he’s putting together, it’s pretty incredible.” Turner’s wisdom has been a guiding light for Crow-Armstrong, who has leaned on the support of Turner, as well as hitting coaches Dustin Kelly, John Mallee, and assistant Juan Cabreja throughout a roller-coaster campaign.
Crow-Armstrong’s journey this year is a story of extremes. The first half of the season saw him soar to new heights, only to tumble into a deep rut in August. September has been uneven, but signs of revival are unmistakable. Before going 0-for-4 on Saturday, he was batting .300 (6-for-20) on the road trip, with two doubles and a home run, a promising sign for a Cubs offense that thrives when he’s at his best. Just the night before, Crow-Armstrong went 2-for-4, demonstrating the kind of hard contact—two line drives with exit velocities over 100 MPH—that has coaches and fans alike hoping for a late surge.
“The kind of support I’ve gotten all year, that definitely helps showing up to the field every day when stuff’s not going my way,” Crow-Armstrong said. “And knowing that all that support I get comes in a ton of different shapes and sizes.” That support has been crucial, especially as expectations have grown. “As I played better this year, my own expectations grew for myself,” he reflected. “But [assistant hitting coach Juan Cabreja] has been saying it to me recently: ‘You’ve already done your season, stat-wise.’ I did not go into spring training thinking I’d hit [29] homers. So there is perspective in that, that I’m continuing to find out about and understand a little bit more.”
Indeed, Crow-Armstrong’s numbers are eye-popping. With 29 home runs, 90 RBIs, and 35 stolen bases, he’s shattered his previous career highs, and his home-run tally is nearly triple his past best. Among all MLB hitters in 2025, he ranks 27th in home runs and 24th in RBIs, establishing himself as one of the league’s most dynamic young stars. His consistency is equally impressive: he’s collected at least one hit in 60.8% of his games (90 out of 148), with multiple hits in nearly a quarter of those contests. He’s homered in 16.2% of his games and driven in runs in more than a third, including six games with three or more RBIs.
The Cubs’ offense, however, has not been without its challenges. From August 1 to September 19, Crow-Armstrong managed just two home runs and 12 RBIs, while Suzuki notched only one homer and 10 RBIs over the same span. These prolonged slumps have raised concerns about whether the Cubs can muster enough firepower for a deep playoff run, especially with outfielder Kyle Tucker potentially sidelined by a calf injury. The pressure is squarely on Crow-Armstrong and Suzuki to rediscover their early-season form and deliver in clutch moments.
Manager Craig Counsell recognizes the mental toll of this pressure. “You maybe evaluate yourself on, did it help feeling like that, did it help acting like that, did those thoughts help me, did the actions I took to try to change it help me? And you get better at kind of figuring that out, maybe. But there’s a pressure to perform that doesn’t necessarily go away. That’s why people show up to watch you. That’s real.”
Saturday’s matchup against the Reds is more than just another regular-season game. The Reds, with a 78-76 record and only two games back of the final NL Wild Card spot, have everything to play for. Zack Littell, the Reds’ starter, brings a 9-8 record and a 3.86 ERA into his 31st start. He’s been particularly effective at home, posting a 3.67 ERA in 13 starts, and has limited the Cubs to a 1.29 ERA in his lone appearance against them this year. Littell’s last outing came against the Cardinals, where he tossed 5 2/3 innings, surrendering four earned runs. Crow-Armstrong is 1-for-3 in his career against Littell, adding another layer of intrigue to tonight’s contest.
On the other side, Cubs starter Javier Assad (3-1, 4.23 ERA) will look to steady the ship, though his 4.50 ERA in three away starts suggests some vulnerability. The betting odds reflect the tight nature of the matchup, with the Reds slightly favored at -115 on the money line. Yet, many eyes will be on Crow-Armstrong, who’s hit two home runs in 11 games against the Reds this season and is considered a strong candidate to go deep again tonight.
As the Cubs approach the postseason, Crow-Armstrong’s mindset is shifting. “It’s all a wash,” he said of the looming playoffs. “No matter the quality of the season, there can be something freeing about a clean slate.” The numbers reset, the pressure intensifies, and every at-bat, every swing, takes on added significance.
With the Cubs’ playoff berth secured but offensive questions lingering, tonight’s game in Cincinnati is more than just a tune-up. It’s a test of resilience, timing, and the ability to rise when it matters most. As Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs take the field, fans can only wonder: will this be the night the bats come alive and the narrative shifts once again?
