The last few days have been brutal for Pete Crow-Armstrong. Between missed plays in the outfield, a heated exchange with a female fan, and another costly defensive mistake, the young Cubs star has found himself at the center of growing criticism. And as the Cubs suffered a sweep against the Brewers, his errors in particular came under especially heavy scrutiny. Thankfully, he has found a defender in Alex Bregman.

“I have gained a lot of respect for [PCA] being around him and watching him go about his work,” Bregman said after the Cubs’ 5-0 defeat to Milwaukee. “I could care less about the results, I care how he goes about his business. He does it the right way.”

Bregman’s pep-talk comes at a time when the 24-year-old had two consecutive blunders in the last two games against the Brewers.

On Wednesday, Crow-Armstrong allowed a line drive to get past him against the Brewers. The gaffe happened in the second inning when the Brewers’ David Hamilton hit a liner between first and second base. It would have been a routine defense, but the ball slipped under Crow-Armstrong’s glove. It went towards the warning track and allowed the Brewers’ hitter to round the bases. A single was scored, and Crow-Armstrong marked his third error of 2026.

Before this, Crow-Armstrong made another blunder on Tuesday when the Cubs lost 2-5. He dropped a leadoff flyball, which fortunately didn’t contribute to any runs for the Brewers. However, Crow-Armstrong’s continuing misplays, along with his .229 batting, are making this season a nightmare for him.

“Yesterday and today are genuinely laughable,” Crow-Armstrong said. “One thing I can fall back on is, it’s never a lack of focus but [instead] trying too hard and trying to make up for the lack of production that I have given this team and this city.”

Crow-Armstrong acknowledged his errors, but things are spiralling faster than ever. For Bregman, though, he is doing his best to turn things around. Maybe Bregman knows how PCA rebounded from last year’s slump. After batting just .211 with no home runs during a slow start, PCA broke out with a game-winning three-run blast against the Dodgers, eventually hitting six home runs and posting a .840 OPS by month’s end.

Bregman is clear that there’s nothing to worry about Crow-Armstrong’s struggle, but the Cubs’ losing the last four series deserves attention, especially their offense.

The Cubs have more concerns apart from Pete Crow-Armstrong

Crow-Armstrong needs to improve, but so does the Cubs‘ entire lineup. The team has scored 3 runs or fewer in 8 of their last 10 games, and since May 9, they are averaging 3.1 runs per game. This season, the Cubs stand as the league’s worst-hitting team. They rank 24th in batting average (.233), 22nd in slugging percentage (.362), and 21st in OPS (.694). Check their recent games, and things are worse.

Last Monday, the Cubs went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. They went 2-for-15 in these situations on Sunday and 2-for-9 on Saturday. Add these stats to Pete Crow-Armstrong’s .229 average, and the reasons behind the Cubs’ struggle become clear.

Apart from Crow-Armstrong, Nico Hoerner’s struggle is also taking a toll on the Cubs. Hoerner slashed just .170/.279/.208 with three RBI, two stolen bases, and eight walks over his last 13 games.

Bregman, one of the Cubs’ most hyped acquisitions in recent years after signing a five-year, $175 million deal ahead of the 2026 season, is hitting just .249 with only four home runs so far. He knows how bad things are and insists that they can do better. “I think everybody knows in here that we can play a lot better baseball, and we will,” he said in April.

So, with the Cubs’ leading names struggling at the plate, manager Craig Counsell has quite a few things to focus on.