CHICAGO — Pete Crow-Armstrong is scuffling at the plate in the postseason.

The Cubs center fielder is 0-for-6 with five strikeouts in the first two games of the NL Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres. But he doesn’t feel like he’s pressing or lost when he’s up to bat.

Heck, he doesn’t even really care about those offensive numbers.

“The confidence is in the same exact place it’s been all year,” Crow-Armstrong said after the Cubs’ 3-0 loss to San Diego that evened the three-game series at one. “I don’t think that’s what I show up here to do, is make my individual mark.

“My job is – and again, I’ve said this so much this year, so I hope everybody takes that with them – that I love playing center field. And right now, that’s my job.”

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The Cubs’ breakout star this season has shown his ability to impact the game in so many facets – with his defense, his speed and, in the first half, with his bat. This was a guy who looked primed for not only a 30-30 season (he finished with 31 home runs, 35 stolen bases and 37 doubles) but potentially even a 40-40 season.

But he cooled off big time with his bat in the second half.

He posted an .847 OPS with 25 home runs and 27 stolen bases before the All-Star Game, then followed that up with a .634 OPS, six home runs and eight stolen bases in the second half. That’s carried through the first two games of the postseason, and the frustration has been evident.

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He slammed his helmet into the ground after grounding out to first in the bottom of the fourth inning with a pair of runners on and trailing by a run. After strikeouts, he’s flung his bat or chucked the helmet in anger.

“He’s a competitor,” Dansby Swanson said. “He wants to come through in each and every moment that gets presented to him.

“A lot of frustration because he cares so much about this team, cares so much about this group being able to win.”

He’s working through some of the holes in his offensive swing, but facing elite arms like Dylan Cease, Adrián Morejón and Mason Miller (the three guys he went up against on Wednesday) make that incredibly difficult.

Craig Counsell addresses PCA’s struggles through the first two games of the NL Wild Card Series.

PCA is 0-for-6 with 5 Ks. pic.twitter.com/q2j4V5jg1x

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) October 1, 2025

“The first two matchups in this series have been pitchers that have done a good job exploiting Pete’s holes, which is what pitchers — that’s their job, right? And they’ve executed pitches really well to do that,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “I think they’ve made a lot of good pitches on Pete. I think clearly today they made a lot of good pitches on everybody.”

So, Crow-Armstrong is making sure he keeps his eye on the controllables, and one that provides immense value to the Cubs. His premier defense can help convert extra-base hits into outs, lessen pitch counts and save a pitching staff.

But in a do-or-die situation, like he and the Cubs face on Thursday, it’s those types of actions that can decide a game. Sure, they would love one of his towering home runs off the right field videoboard (like he hit in the final series of the year against the St. Louis Cardinals), but their next game is all about finding a way to win.

It’s not about Crow-Armstrong, Swanson, Kyle Tucker, Jameson Taillon or any of the other players on the 26-man roster. It’s all about surviving and advancing.

“I feel no pressure about making my individual mark, only because my goal is just to play as long into October and then hopefully early November as I can,” Crow-Armstrong said.