The Chicago Cubs have won each of the first two games of the Crosstown series against the Chicago White Sox with walk-off hits.
On Monday, Cubs superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a walk-off two-run homer in extra innings, and Alex Bregman got in on the fun Tuesday with a game-winning single.
Now, ahead of Wednesday afternoon’s series finale, Cubs manager Craig Counsell has made a sudden lineup change involving Crow-Armstrong.
Cubs Announce Crow-Armstrong Decision
Crow-Armstrong hasn’t missed a game all season and has primarily started in center field. However, Counsell has recently started giving his NL MVP candidate some days off defensively.
On Wednesday, Crow-Armstrong will serve as the team’s designated hitter instead.
That means the Cubs’ outfield will consist of Seiya Suzuki in right field, Ian Happ in left and Tyrone Taylor in center.
Here’s the full Cubs lineup:
Cubs 8/19
P. Crow-Armstrong DH
S. Suzuki RF
A. Bregman 3B
M. Busch 1B
N. Hoerner SS
P. Ramírez 2B
C. Kelly C
I. Happ LF
T. Taylor CFC. Holmes SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 19, 2026
Crow-Armstrong’s 2026 Season
It’s been a historic year for PCA in his fourth MLB season.
Following Monday night’s game, he became the first player in Cubs history to record back-to-back 30-homer, 30-stolen-base seasons. He enters Wednesday batting .282 with a .555 slugging percentage and a .935 OPS. The 24-year-old has logged 483 at-bats and recorded 136 hits, 31 home runs, 79 RBIs, 90 runs and 31 stolen bases.
Cubs Right Now
As for Chicago, the Cubs sit at 74-53 overall and remain firmly in the playoff picture. However, they still trail the Milwaukee Brewers by 4.5 games in the NL Central.
If the season ended today, Chicago would hold the top Wild Card spot. They would host the Philadelphia Phillies in a best-of-three series at Wrigley Field.
Chicago Cubs Announce Sudden Pete Crow-Armstrong Decision During White Sox Series