Pete Crow-Armstrong shoulders blame after Cubs' wild-card loss

The Chicago Cubs season has come to an end with two losses to the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card Series at Petco Park. 

San Diego shut out Chicago 8-0 in Game 1, and the Padres won Game 2 4-1 to advance to the NLDS against the top-seeded Milwaukee Brewers. 

The Cubs had just one run in the two games, and it came via an RBI single by Nico Hoerner in the fourth inning of Game 2. 

Big-name stars such as Alex Bregman and Pete Crow-Armstrong combined to go 0-for-15 with 1 BB and eight strikeouts in the round. 

Pete Crow-Armstrong takes the blame after the loss 

Following the Game 2 defeat, Crow-Armstrong - who is the National League MVP favorite - said he has to do better and "step up." 

"I think this team showed a lot of heart and a lot of fight," Crow-Armstrong said, via Marquee Sports Network. "But I would say, to start, I show up. I show up when it matters, in these games. I think that would help us immediately."

In the 2025 Wild Card Series, Crow-Armstrong was 0-for-6 with five strikeouts in the first two games, and those struggles returned against the same Padres team this time around. 

The Cubs had eight hits combined in the two games this series, and Hoerner had half of those. Chicago also had just one extra-base hit, and it came via a Hoerner double in the ninth inning on Wednesday against Mason Miller. 

So, while Pete Crow-Armstrong is likely going to win the NL MVP, the Cubs star needs to show up on the big stage.