Bregman’s heating – After a sluggish start that lingered into July, Alex Bregman helped turn Sunday afternoon’s Cubs-Cardinals game with a key RBI and a run-scoring swing, and the win felt like the kind of late-season momentum the team expects. The victory also included Pete Crow
Alex Bregman is running out of runway.
The Cubs third baseman had come out of the gate slowly, and that burden followed him into July. Then Sunday unfolded the way the Cubs likely hoped it would when they signed him as a lineup anchor—fast, direct, and suddenly alive.
In the Cubs’ 6-4 win over the Cardinals, Pete Crow-Armstrong led off the first inning with a single, stole second base, and scored when Bregman doubled. The sequence didn’t just put runs on the board; it put the tone in motion.
“It feels good, obviously, to get us on the board there and drive him in,” Bregman said. He credited what felt like real mechanical progress during the homestand.
“I feel like this last homestand has actually been really good. a lot better mechanically than it has been. ” he said. “I’m swinging from behind the baseball better. I think it started with the [Jacob] Misiorowski game in Milwaukee. I’ve been working on some things. trying to get my swing behind the ball. and I feel like I’m in a better spot than I was earlier in the year.”.
Bregman added that the improvement isn’t just about timing—it’s about confidence. “Now that I’m behind the ball, I feel a lot better, and I feel excited for the next three months.”
He pointed to a crucial stretch he’s feeling right now. “The last eight or nine games feel a lot better, and normally when I get it going, it keeps going for a long time.”
For a player who has often made his money when the calendar turns, the idea of a late-season swing isn’t theory—it’s something he’s built his career on.
Bregman also marked a major milestone during the week. He reached 10 years of big-league service time Saturday, a benchmark that carries weight for any player, and he’ll be part of a wave of Cubs hitting it this season.
Bregman is the second of five Cubs to reach that threshold. Jameson Taillon was first, reaching 10 years of service time on May 25. Matthew Boyd will follow on July 17, Dansby Swanson on July 27, and Michael Conforto on July 31.
“Means a lot,” Bregman said.
Crow-Armstrong didn’t need a perfect day from his body to make it count. In the second inning, he was hit in the left forearm by a 93.8 mph sinker from Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore. He stayed in the game. Then he stole second base anyway—his second stolen base in two innings.
That resilience came with a reminder from the day before. On Saturday, Crow-Armstrong was hit in the left foot by an 87 mph sweeper from Cardinals right-hander Kyle Leahy, a shot that momentarily hobbled him. He fouled a pitch off that same foot Sunday.
Manager Craig Counsell said, “I’m giving him the day off tomorrow,” even though the team actually has a scheduled day off before opening a series in Baltimore on Tuesday.
On the pitching side, the Cubs got a positive sign from their rehab picture. Jameson Taillon. who has been out almost a month with a strained left hamstring after exiting on June 8. made his way back through a rehab start for Class A South Bend. He pitched 3 innings, allowing a run and four hits, and striking out two. Taillon threw 45 pitches, 35 for strikes.
And behind the scenes, the Cubs’ future at the top of the lineup continues to draw real attention.
Former Met David Peterson was in one spring training with Crow-Armstrong when PCA was still in the Mets’ system, before he was traded to New York in the Javy Baez deal. Peterson said he saw enough quickly to know what he was watching.
“I saw enough right away that I knew he was going to be a special kid,” Peterson said. “The defense was always there. Just a lot of times, as guys continue to move up [in the system], does the skill at the plate continue.”
Peterson said Crow-Armstrong had a natural feel even then, and he remained convinced as the development played out.
“He’s just a natural, so, yeah, it’s fun to watch,” Peterson said. “I always thought he was one of the best guys in our system. I didn’t think it was a great trade at the time, and we’re seeing it now. The kid’s got five tools. So much fun to watch every day.”
Sunday’s win left the Cubs with a clear, human takeaway: when Bregman’s swing is back where he wants it and the lineup clicks early, the game starts to look like something the team can carry.
The only question now is whether this heat—described in details about mechanics, momentum, and the last eight or nine games—can last through the stretch when every day matters.
Chicago Cubs St. Louis Cardinals Alex Bregman Pete Crow-Armstrong Jameson Taillon Craig Counsell Matthew Liberatore Kyle Leahy Jacob Misiorowski service time milestone