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Chapter 1: What prompted the discussion about Pete Crow-Armstrong's performance?
Harris and Grody.
We are happy to have on Vinny Rotino. Vinny, how are you?
I'm doing great. Thanks for having me on, guys. I tell you, I feel like I made it to the big leagues when I get on the score and get on your show. I appreciate you guys having me. Middays 10-2 on 104.3 The Score. Freelink drills that one out towards right center field and PCA. Oh my goodness, it's off his glove. And Freelink into second.
I'm not sure what happened there, JD. I might have a little tail on it, but they had to make a little bit of an adjustment, and then he just flanked it. It wasn't in the best position to make that play, but critical to base error.
That was marquee on the call.
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Chapter 2: How did recent errors impact Pete Crow-Armstrong's playing time?
You heard Pico Armstrong there, and we will get to his gaffes in the outfield on back-to-back days before the day off in just a moment. But also just to let you know once again, Cubs number two prospect Pedro Ramirez is is in the house. Multiple reports saying that he has a locker at the clubhouse at Wrigley Field. I am waiting to see. I've seen no roster move yet from the Cubs.
That comes via email typically. 22-year-old switch hitting minor league gold glove winning infielder. hitting 312. The slash line is 395, 547, and 136. Weighted runs created plus at AAA Iowa. So it looks like something will happen. We wait to see what the latest is on whether or not he would play today, how he would play today.
So we will obviously talk more about that leading into Cubs pregame, which you can hear right here, only local call in town at 1245 and 104.3 the score. Now then, Marshall, there's the matter of the lineup.
Chapter 3: What are the implications of giving PCA a day off?
And the question was asked yesterday, well, for us it was yesterday, when it came to the show before the Radiothon, before the Brewers game, as to whether or not in Game 3 we might see P. Crow Armstrong take a day off after he misplayed a ball in center field, only to then see again him misplay a ball in center field.
It was what led to a 3-0 Brewers lead at that point, an error that cost the team two runs. And now we try to figure out not just the day off and if that helped him, but maybe sitting out an actual game, if that would help his mind get right after what clearly I think seems like a distraction after that interaction with the fan at game three on Sunday on the south side.
I definitely agree with the sentiment that not just Pete Carl Armstrong, but the entire Cubs team needed a day off after losing in the fashion that they did, with the bats struggling in the manner that they did. Kyle Harrison was absolutely unbelievable in that game with the 11 strikeouts, and they only got a couple of hits off of him. And the understanding that
Yes, you got swept by the Brewers at home, a place that coming into that series, you had won 15 straight games. So I understand that part of it. But I really think the day off that the entire team got was enough of a reset for Pete Crow Armstrong and whether or not he's made back-to-back errors in back-to-back games. He's still your best defender, period.
And he is someone they need to have behind a guy like Jamison Tyone on the mound tonight because there will be fly balls. I don't know a whole lot, but I know there will be fly balls.
Yeah, I mean, it's just a matter of how much they carry. You know, this is an interesting day for that. We'll get a report.
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Chapter 4: How does the Cubs' overall performance affect individual players?
But this may be one of those days where the wind is in or still.
And I think the other thing is, Layla, Pete Armstrong's started every single game but one this season. Is this a situation where you really want to run out Matt Shaw in center field, the only other guy to start a game in center field. Because the pressure, I don't think it's a PCA pressure thing. I mean, he's under pressure. Don't get me wrong.
I think the whole team is under pressure right now with the way things have gone over the last five games. Specifically, all of the position players because the offense has been lacking and then some.
Well, that's my problem here as I angrily set my phone down. But that's my problem is that... What you don't want when you spend money on a team, when you have veterans who are playing together, when you have veteran pitching, the idea is one guy has a slump. It's probably going to be shorter if it's one of your vet players who's been in the league longer.
That is the measure of a quality Major League Baseball well above replacement hitter is that his slump is going to be shorter than, say, a younger player, even a Pete Crowe Armstrong. Yeah.
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Chapter 5: What are the statistics surrounding PCA's recent struggles?
You know, he's still young in my eyes. So the vet slums are supposed to be shorter, right? Therefore, your whole lineup isn't supposed to fail at once. And that's what we've been seeing. I was looking up numbers this morning. May 9th through 19th. The Cubs, when they lost 8 of 10. The batting average with runners in scoring position. Brace yourself. 146 yards.
A 498 OPS and 44 weighted runs created plus. And Pete Crow Armstrong has talked about the concept of trying to make something happen. I think we've seen it at times where he's decided on his own. He wants to bunt to try to get on base because he knows his own scouting report is when he's on base, good things happen. He's aware.
Chapter 6: How does mental pressure influence player performance?
Too much so to a fault, we've seen.
And that's why, even when we heard him after the game, it sounds like a guy where if your team is not hurting and if you have this veteran team who's built to be able to withstand this stuff and shouldn't all slump at the same time like this, listen to what he had to say after the game on Wednesday after his moneymaker started to fail him, which is his defensive play.
Yesterday and today are, like, genuinely laughable. Yeah. You know, I think one thing that I can fall back on is that it's never really a lack of focus. But trying too hard and trying to make up for the lack of production that I've given this team and this city. You know, not acting how I should and
I think anything physical usually starts mental, and I think that's just what I'm showing everybody right now. So I just show up and keep pushing, but that can't happen. That kind of stuff, that just can't happen.
You are a human being, and you allow emotion, aren't you?
Yeah. I mean, I feel like people have a lot of different opinions about that. You know, my emotion, I think it goes in a few different ways. And just the way that, again, the way that I've been playing, I don't think I deserve to... I mean, I haven't contributed to any games where I've given people a chance to feel any sort of good way about what I'm doing out there, so...
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Chapter 7: What role does team dynamics play in PCA's situation?
It's just up to me to turn that stuff around and, you know, saving energy, not going in there and slamming a bunch of stuff and making a scene when I really don't feel like I got that right too right now.
Yeah, yeah, I hear you, Pete. Like, no, but seriously. I hear him explaining and almost in a way being vulnerable because he could brush off those questions and not give as genuine an answer if you want to be like, I'm in company man mode. But he's letting the reporters know this is where I'm coming from. This is my vantage point on all of this.
And I can appreciate that because it sounds like he has the awareness to understand how he's being perceived by everybody else.
he's self aware. But again, it is to a fault, you know, and we've seen that there's been no better example than this past week. And somewhere in between the team saying this wasn't a distraction, which it clearly was. And his answer is probably how to go about the business. And he's hard on himself. We know that too. But sometimes even in a case where
Of all the things you need this lineup to hit right now, sitting him because of what happened to himself, that's the hard challenge.
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Chapter 8: What changes might the Cubs consider for their lineup?
And you and I talked about this, Marshall. We wondered after that third and final game in the sweep, maybe he didn't get the day off because this day off was coming on Thursday.
Right.
Where I think you said the entire, not just the Cubs, but the entire Cubs ecosystem, including all of us, deserved a day off from watching them play baseball.
The pendulum swing is wild, Layla. We heard Jed Hoyer talk about it. But to see a team win 20 of 23 games with several walk-offs involved, so very emotional and emotionally charged games, right? To now a fan base is like, what is going on? I think not only the team, the organization, leadership, so they could, hey, let's reset and see if we can make a change. Hi, Pedro Ramirez.
But also the fan base itself, because they've just been on a wild rollercoaster ride.
They have. 312-644-6767 is our number here at the score. We're getting some calls, and I think we will take them in our next segment. We're sponsored by AlmostFreeTeeth.com in this segment. Save on dental implants today. Like, we have a text from 708 that says, why can't they call Alcantara and give him a couple games in center, at least against lefties?
How mad was Craig Council at the base running errors we heard about in spring training? Is that why he hasn't gotten time yet with the big league club this year?
Nah, see, I don't think that's it at all.
I wondered about it.
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