Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has been on fire in April. The 23-year-old lefty is batting .429/.455/.857 with an OPS of 1.312 in the last seven days. He’s hit five home runs and 15 RBI in April.
Despite the hot streak, Cubs manager Craig Counsell has Crow-Armstrong batting seventh in the lineup in between right-handers Nico Hoerner and Carson Kelly.
The Chicago Cubs have no intention of changing the lineup
Before their game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, a reporter asked Counsell if the Cubs planned to promote Crow-Armstrong higher in the lineup so he has the opportunity to earn more at-bats.
Counsell said he had “no intention” of messing with the lineup and thinks the No. 7 spot benefits Crow-Armstrong because he will face more right-handed pitchers.
“I think our lineup is executing at a really high level right now,” Counsell said via video from Marquee Sports Network. “I think the way it’s structured… it’s who’s around you kind of determines who your matchups are, kind of later in the game. So we’ve got Pete kind of insulated, and so he’s going to get a lot of right-handers. And he’s been really performing against right-handed pitching.
We haven’t faced a lot of left-handed starters, but when we’ve had left-handed relievers in there, Seiya (Suzuki) has really taken advantage of hitting between Michael (Busch) and (Kyle) Tucker. So I think we’re in a good spot with it right now.
“It’s more important who plays than the order. And I think they’re they’re producing. And so no intention (of making a change) right now.”
The Cubs’ hot lineup helped the team overcome pitching injuries in a two-game series sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field earlier this week.
Chicago enters their weekend series against the Phillies with a three-game lead on the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the NL Central.