Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is now the favorite to win the National League MVP Award, and Shohei Ohtani is now playing catch-up.
Ohtani's absence from pitching and Crow-Armstrong's recent dominance have made for a very interesting shift in the MVP race. Crow-Armstrong hit five home runs and collected nine hits over the weekend, and he is now a heavy favorite to win the award over Ohtani.
However, just as quickly as Crow-Armstrong took the lead, he can lose it. The Cubs face the Milwaukee Brewers seven times in the next 10 days, and the results of those matchups are far more important than Crow-Armstrong's MVP campaign. The Brewers have the best record in baseball, and the Cubs are trying to come back and win the division. As far as the MVP race goes, however, facing the Brewers could really hurt Crow-Armstrong's chances if Ohtani has a nice stretch over the next 10 days.
Why does this stretch against the Brewers matter for Crow-Armstrong? Well, the Brewers are one of the only teams this season that have held him in check. He has his worst batting average against a single opponent this year against the Brewers. In six games, he has a .048 average and a .248 OPS. The only other teams he has faced in more than one series that he has struggled against are the Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Fans saw the MVP race take a major swing over the weekend, so it's not a stretch to say that a poor showing in the next 10 days could not only hurt the Cubs' chances to win the division, but also let Ohtani close the gap in the MVP race again.
It feels like if Ohtani were still pitching, he would be the MVP favorite, but his injury has opened the door. Ohtani is in a little bit of a slump at the plate, but he is still third in OPS in the National League. While the Cubs play the Brewers seven times and the Miami Marlins three times in the next 10 days, the Los Angeles Dodgers will face three sub-.500 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals.
Crow-Armstrong has one hit in 25 plate appearances against the Brewers this year. The more concerning fact is that he has struck out 12 times in the six games he has seen them. The Brewers pitching staff is phenomenal, and Cro-Armstrong has struggled mightily this year against them. In fact, in his career, he has a .160/.264/.351 slash line against the Brewers.
It's not a stretch to say that the Brewers are his kryptonite. Ohtani will have to start swinging a better bat, but he has a real chance to catch back up to Crow-Armstrong in the next 10 days. Iff he does that and gets back on the mound as well, he could come back and win MVP for the fourth straight year.