Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs bid to slug way past Reds again

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell acknowledged he's having fun watching Pete Crow-Armstrong play lately -- and for good reason.

Crow-Armstrong hit two homers -- including a go-ahead grand slam in a six-run seventh inning -- and drove in six runs for the second time in a week in the Cubs' 13-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday.

Counsell said he hopes to see more of the same from Crow-Armstrong on Saturday afternoon when the Cubs continue their three-game series in Cincinnati.

Chicago has won six of its past seven games.

"There's no question that Pete's kind of doing some things very uniquely," Counsell said. "He does some things other guys can't do, and that's fun to watch."

Crow-Armstrong, who is batting .287 with 14 homers and 45 RBIs this season, launched a two-run homer in the fourth inning Friday before hitting his grand slam in the seventh.

The towering drive in the seventh curled down the right field line and hit the foul pole while Crow-Armstrong remained in the batter's box watching its flight. After the ball caromed off the pole, he tossed his bat, pounded his chest like Tarzan and screamed and hollered all the way around the bases before being greeted by his smiling teammates at home plate.

"No clue. No clue," Crow-Armstrong said when asked what was going through his mind when the ball hit the foul pole. "That was cool. Baseball gods were on my side."

Said Counsell: "I actually thought it was way fair, but when it kept curving, I was getting a little nervous," Counsell said. "I mean, he just hit (it) so good. The ball, it feels like it explodes off his bat. It's just different."

Crow-Armstrong also drove in six runs in a 13-3 victory over the White Sox on May 16.

"This might be my favorite game that we played this year," he said of Friday's contest. "They came out hot. (Starter Matthew Boyd) kept us in there, and we just didn't quit. I think that's been a big part of who we've been all year."

It was the third multi-homer game this season for Crow-Armstrong. Not bad for a player who began the year more known for his standout outfield defense and baserunning.

"We're lucky to be able to watch something like this," Counsell said. "This is a really fun player to watch. Watching him take his game to another level, at 23 years old, it's fun to watch."

Right-hander Colin Rea (3-0, 2.38 ERA) will try to give the Cubs the series win on Saturday. He will be opposed by left-hander Andrew Abbott (3-0, 1.80).

Rea is 5-0 with a 5.20 ERA in eight career appearances (seven starts) against the Reds, including 3-0 with a 5.52 ERA at Great American Ball Park.

Abbott allowed four hits over five shutout innings in a 3-1 win over Cleveland in his last start on Sunday. He is 1-0 with a 3.68 ERA in three career starts against the Cubs.

Cincinnati manager Terry Francona said the Reds need to move on quickly from Friday's disappointing defeat, his team's third loss in a row.

"It doesn't matter, probably, how much (tonight) rates on the hurt scale," Francona said. "We lost, and we didn't want to, so we've got to regroup, find a way to beat them tomorrow."