Pirates join in on the fun with Pete Crow-Armstrong trolling as Cubs' spiral continues

Pittsburgh Pirates fans have watched enough self-inflicted chaos over the years to recognize it immediately, even when it is wearing a Chicago Cubs uniform.

That made Pete Crow-Armstrong’s latest misadventure at PNC Park especially satisfying.

The Pirates jumped Jordan Wicks immediately Tuesday, with Konnor Griffin and Brandon Lowe opening the game with back-to-back hits. That alone was bad enough for a Cubs team already stuck in a nine-game losing streak (now 10) and sliding into full-blown panic mode. Then Crow-Armstrong made it worse.

On Lowe’s single to center, Griffin took off for third. Crow-Armstrong, blessed with one of the best outfield arms and defensive skill sets in baseball, had no realistic play. Griffin had the jump. The smart play was to get the ball in, limit the damage, and keep Wicks from having to navigate an even messier inning.

Instead, Crow-Armstrong tried to be the hero. His throw sailed off line, allowing Lowe to move up and giving the Pirates an extra base they didn't even have to earn. Rather inexplicably, it wasn't charged as an error, but Pirates fans did not need the official scorer to validate what they had just seen. It was exactly the kind of frantic mistake that happens when a talented player starts pressing instead of playing.

And because it was Crow-Armstrong, the trolling came naturally.

Defensive gaffes are piling up for Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Pirates fans are loving it

This is a Gold Glove center fielder, a breakout star, a player whose brash confidence has always been part of the package. That makes him electric when things are going well — and an easy target when they're not. Pirates fans, already enjoying a 12-1 rout and a Cubs spiral that has now dragged Chicago into a tie with Pittsburgh in the NL Central standings, were more than happy to join the pile-on.

The funniest part is that Crow-Armstrong’s mistake fit the Cubs’ current state perfectly. Chicago is flailing. Injuries and slumps have created the hole, but desperation has made it deeper. Crow-Armstrong trying to throw out Griffin from center was a microcosm of the whole Cubs season: aggressive, talented, chaotic and completely counterproductive.

For the Pirates, it was another reminder of how quickly momentum can flip inside the division. A few weeks ago, the Cubs looked like the team with the cleaner path. Now they are unraveling, and Pittsburgh is the one laughing as one of Chicago’s brightest stars turns into the symbol of its skid.

Crow-Armstrong will be fine eventually. He is too talented not to be. But for one night, Pirates fans got to watch him throw gas on the Cubs’ fire — and they absolutely earned the right to enjoy it.

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