MILWAUKEE — Pete Crow-Armstrong says he has his teammates to thank for sparking him to his fast start this season.
Crow-Armstrong hit two homers in a 10-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night to give him eight this year, two off his 2024 total in 123 games as a rookie. He also already has 12 steals to go along with an .859 OPS.
The 23-year-old outfielder has delivered much of that production while batting seventh in the order, where he was hitting again Friday.
''It's so easy to hit in this lineup,'' Crow-Armstrong said. ''I just feel so confident going up to the plate in the seven hole. Talk about flying under the radar. I feel like I can kind of hide in there in a way because it's so easy to want to go have a good at bat when you've got eight other guys who can really do it behind you and in front of you.''
The Cubs are leading the majors with 6.1 runs per game with a lineup featuring plenty of power and speed. The Cubs have an MLB-leading 44 steals — they've been caught only six times — and rank third with 49 homers.
Many of those homers have come in the bottom third of the order. Crow-Armstrong's two solo shots Friday gave the Cubs a total of 18 from the seventh, eighth or ninth hitters in the lineup.
''That's why you score a lot of runs, is we're getting production from all over the lineup and from a number of different people,'' Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. ''That's been a strength of this team so far.''
Crow-Armstrong has showcased that with two two-homer games this season. He also went deep twice April 13 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
