Cubs lineup gets a boost as key outfielder starts heating up again

Ezra Shaw/GettyImages This week's series against the San Francisco Giants got off to an inauspicious start as Matthew Boyd's recent struggles continued in a 5-2 loss, but it wasn't all doom and gloom for the Chicago Cubs.

Dynamic outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong continued his recent turnaround, collecting a pair of hits to pace the offense, raising his slash line since Aug. 15 to .275/.340/.425 (114 wRC+) and swiping his first base in 2 1/2 weeks. Obviously, he's at his best when he's hitting, but when he's not impacting the game on the basepaths, this offense loses an element that was critical to its early-season success.

In the first half, PCA swiped 27 bases and was caught just three times,…