CHICAGO — After having a pair of homers stolen from him by the Wrigley Field wind Sunday, Pete Crow-Armstrong put on a show in the Chicago Cubs 7-3 win over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night. Crow-Armstrong went 4-for-5 on the night with a home run, a double and four RBIs. Crow-Armstrong tacked on a stolen base — his 37th of the year — as he continues to inch closer to becoming the seventh player to join the 40-40 club.The homer was Crow-Armstrong’s 42nd of the season, tying him with Billy Williams for the franchise record for most home runs in a season by a left-handed hitter. With the wind blowing in from Lake Michigan early in the season and often by the fall, Wrigley Field is notoriously tough on lefties, but Crow-Armstrong has made it look easy at times.“It’s a Hall of Famer,” manager Craig Counsell said. “It shows how hard it is to do what he’s done this year in terms of hitting homers at Wrigley. And it’s great company.”Crow-Armstrong will get the headlines, but perhaps more important for Chicago was David Peterson’s six innings of one-run ball. Yes, the Cubs bullpen needs some stabilizing, but it helps when the starters limit their work by going deeper into games.How a 90-mile stretch could decide the World SeriesKen Rosenthal“I thought tonight was maybe his best stuff since he’s been a Cub,” Counsell said. “I thought his stuff was just excellent tonight. A lot of weak contact and handled a very difficult lineup really well.”After striking out seven and walking just three, Peterson allowed a single to lead off the seventh and exited to a nice ovation from the crowd. Peterson has made 13 starts with the Cubs, and in nine of them, he’s gone at least five innings and allowed two or fewer runs.Here’s a look at the three most important things Cubs fans will be watching over the next week-plus of games before the playoffs begin.Crow-Armstrong watchThe 40-40 club is within reach with 11 games to go. The NL MVP? It feels all but wrapped up with Shohei Ohtani on the injured list. By FanGraphs WAR, Crow-Armstrong leads Ohtani, 9.8 to 6.8. The next closest position player in the National League is Elly De La Cruz at 5.7.Crow-Armstrong is now within shouting distance of Rogers Hornsby’s 11 from 1929.
Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong inches closer to MLB’s 40-40 club with another big night at Wrigley
Crow-Armstrong put on a show in the Chicago's 7-3 win over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.







