Miguel Amaya of the Chicago Cubs is congratulated by teammates after hitting a home run to score Pete Crow-Armstrong in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
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PITTSBURGH — All over the PNC Park concession area, there’s a restaurant called Chickie’s and Pete’s. Apparently a good place to get crab fries.
It also recalls the Cubs’ resurgence in August, thanks largely to Miggy and Pete – Amaya and Crow-Armstrong, respectively.
The last two batters in the order also performed at their best on Monday, when the Cubs produced their strongest offensive performance of the season in an 18-8 victory over the Pirates.
Dansby Swanson of the Chicago Cubs celebrates after hitting his grand slam as he rounds the bases in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
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The Cubs (66-66) are back at .500 and have a 15-8 record since July 31. In that game, they set season highs in runs and hits (21), collected 7 doubles and 8 stolen bases.
Amaya went 4-for-5 with 2 doubles and 4 RBIs. He had a batting average of .186 on July 3, and is now at .243 this season. Since the All-Star break, Amaya has a batting average of .311.
“He’s adapted great,” manager Craig Counsell said. “That’s why a season is a season. It’s not half a season, it’s not 80 games. He’s playing at a really high level offensively and that makes a difference for us.”
Seven Cubs had multiple hits. Seiya Suzuki had 4 and Pete Crow-Armstrong had 3, plus 3 stolen bases. The Cubs only hit 2 home runs, but one was a grand slam by Dansby Swanson. The other was a solo hit by Isaac Paredes.
After the game, Swanson talked about the dramatic rebound of Amaya and Crow-Armstrong, who, along with Ian Happ, were the Cubs’ OPS leaders over the last month.
“Just seeing the transformation, the work, the questions they’re asking, how they’re starting to process things,” Swanson said. “We were all young once and trying to figure it out, and it’s really cool to see what they’ve learned and how they’ve managed to incorporate it into their everyday lives. The competitiveness they bring to us is huge.”
Seiya Suzuki of the Chicago Cubs hits a ground rule double in the third inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
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Starter Jameson Taillon (9-8) had to endure some long breaks between innings while the Cubs fought for the bases, but pitched until the seventh inning and took the win against his former team.
“Some of those innings were pretty long,” he said. “I think there was a 50-pitch inning and several innings of maybe 30 pitches. So it was just a matter of how can I go in the tunnel and maybe throw some plyo balls and stuff. What can I do to make sure I go out there and still be sharp?”
Counsell declined to comment on a report that the Cubs have placed pitcher Drew Smyly on waivers. Smyly was in the locker room after the game.
Before the contest, Pirates manager Derek Shelton casually announced some important news: Pittsburgh shortstop Oneil Cruz will move to center field, a move that is expected to be permanent. It won’t happen immediately. Cruz was DH on Monday and will spend a few days doing extra defensive work.
