The Chicago Cubs secured a 6-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night in their series opener.
Continuing to see immense success at the plate was outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who recorded two runs, one hit, two RBIs and drew two walks.
Ahead of Game 2 of the series Saturday night, Cubs manager Craig Counsell made a notable lineup change involving Crow-Armstrong.
Cubs Announce Crow-Armstrong Change
Crow-Armstrong will once again start and bat leadoff, but he’ll get the day off from defense and serve as the team’s designated hitter.
Tyrone Taylor, whom the Cubs acquired via trade earlier this week, will take his place in center field, while Seiya Suzuki starts in right and Ian Happ starts in left.
Here’s the full Cubs starting lineup:
Cubs 8/8
P. Crow-Armstrong DH
S. Suzuki RF
M. Busch 1B
A. Bregman 3B
I. Happ LF
N. Hoerner 2B
C. Kelly C
D. Swanson SS
T. Taylor CFC. Holmes SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 8, 2026
PCA’s 2026 Season
In his fourth season with the Cubs, Crow-Armstrong is having the best season of his career. He’s firmly in the mix with Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani for the National League MVP.
Entering Saturday, he’s leading the league with a 7.3 WAR. Across 117 games and 439 at-bats, PCA has recorded 82 runs, 127 hits, 26 home runs, 70 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. He’s slashing .289/.549/.937.
Cubs Right Now
Chicago is 68-49 and riding a five-game winning streak. The Cubs are trying to creep up on the Milwaukee Brewers.
Milwaukee leads the NL Central by 4.5 games and holds the best record in MLB at 72-44.
Yet, if the season ended today, the Cubs would hold the top Wild Card spot. They would host a best-of-three series in the Wild Card round against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Chicago Cubs Announce Pete Crow-Armstrong Change During Royals Series