The accolades keep coming for Chicago center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who has been named as a starter for the National League in the All-Star Game in Atlanta on July 15.
Crow-Armstrong will look to continue his stellar first half when the Cubs aim for a sweep of their three-game series against the visiting Cleveland Guardians on Thursday night.
The 23-year-old Crow-Armstrong had two hits and two RBIs in a 5-4 victory on Wednesday. Chicago rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to win for the fifth time in its past seven games.
Carlos Santana, Lane Thomas and David Fry hit solo homers for Cleveland, which has only 12 runs during a six-game losing streak.
The Guardians hope to develop young players similar to Crow-Armstrong, who is batting .268 with 21 homers, 64 RBIs and 26 stolen bases in his second full season with Chicago.
“The All-Star Game is an awesome stage for him, for the Cubs, for his brand,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “He certainly — with the way he’s played for the first 80-something games — he absolutely deserves to be standing in center field at the start of the game.”
Crow-Armstrong will be joined at the All-Star Game by Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker, who has been named a starter for the first time in his career. Tucker is batting .290 with 17 homers and 21 stolen bases.
Cleveland also will have a starter in the Midsummer Classic in third baseman Jose Ramirez, who is set to make his seventh All-Star appearance and fourth start.
Ramirez is batting .301 with 13 homers, 38 RBIs and 21 stolen bases.
“He’s the best all-around third baseman in baseball,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “He’s one of the top five players, in my opinion. (He) exemplifies what it means to be a professional baseball player on the field, and he plays the game the right way. I’m just thankful I get to watch him do it every day.”
Thursday’s series finale will feature Chicago right-hander Cade Horton (3-2, 4.80 ERA) against Cleveland left-hander Joey Cantillo (1-0, 3.81).
Cantillo is making the spot start after Major League Baseball placed Guardians right-hander Luis Ortiz on non-disciplinary paid leave through the end of the All-Star break due to an ongoing investigation.
“The Guardians have been notified that Luis Ortiz has been placed on leave per an agreement with the Players Association due to an ongoing league investigation,” the team said in a statement Thursday. “The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time and will respect the league’s confidential investigative process.”
Cantillo, 25, is making his first start of the season and will face the Cubs for the first time in his career.
Horton, 23, yielded seven runs — including a pair of three-run homers — with four walks over four innings in a 7-4 loss to the Houston Astros last Friday.
“I got my (butt) kicked today,” Horton said after the defeat. “It was the first time (in the majors) I felt like I wasn’t able to slow the game down, and I let my emotions get the best of me. I’ve got to learn from it and move on.”
Horton will make his first career appearance against Cleveland.
–Field Level Media
