Pete Crow-Armstrong has been mired in a prolonged slump that has lasted most of the second half, and getting to October hasn’t helped matters. He managed to bounce back from an atrocious August with a September that was passable in light of his elite defense, but Padres pitching has been a puzzle he can’t solve. A lowlight reel of his worst swings of the season would feature at least three hacks from the last two games in which he’s gone 0-for-6 with five strikeouts.
The young outfielder has as much swagger as anyone, but it’s hard to look cool when you’re being sworded once or twice every time up there.