The Cubs were dispatched in the Wild Card Series by the Padres rather easily, losing 8-1 in Game 1 on Tuesday and 4-1 in Game 2 on Wednesday. The entire Cubs' batting order was pretty well held in check by the Padres' pitching staff, most notably including Nos. 1 and 2 hitters Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman, who combined to go 0 for 15 with eight strikeouts in the series.
All eyes will naturally gravitate toward Crow-Armstrong, as he just put together a regular season for the ages that'll almost certainly earn him the NL MVP this season. Those eyes include his own.
"We were challenged this year," Crow-Armstrong said when asked what could take the Cubs to the next level (The Athletic). "This team showed a lot of heart and a lot of fight through all the challenges. But I would say, to start: I show up. I show up when it matters in these games. That would help us immediately. But that's all I got right now."
"You can look at the scoreboard, you can look at the stat sheet, wherever you get your numbers from, and it is clear to see that I didn't contribute," he said later. "None of it feels good. Pretty disappointed in myself, but that's for me to work on."
In the regular season, Crow-Armstrong hit .280/.372/.570 (156 OPS+) with 31 doubles, eight triples, 45 home runs, 107 RBI, 119 runs and 41 steals, putting together one of the best all-around seasons in the century.
And then he went out with a whimper. It's good to see the accountability and acceptance that the job of a team's best player is to shoulder the blame when stuff like this happens, especially at the young age of 24.
He wasn't one to cower in big moments in 2026 for the most part. With runners in scoring position, he hit .336/.423/.630. In high-leverage situations, he hit .284/.403/.547. And in "late and close" situations, he hit a ridiculous .354/.449/.646.
Until he hits well in the playoffs, though, there will always be those who claim he can't. That's just part of the territory when you win an MVP. He seems to get that and it's yet another good sign from the youngster, even with a disappointing end to the season.
