Struggling Cubs give Happ day off, move Crow-Armstrong to leadoff

CHICAGO -- A day after vowing to shake things up, Cubs manager Craig Counsell altered his usual lineup Saturday, giving struggling left fielder Ian Happ the day off while moving center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong up to the leadoff spot.

"There wasn't much thought to it," Counsell admitted before Saturday's game against the Houston Astros. "I think shake-up is probably the thing we were after. Just giving guys a different look in terms of when they are going up there."

Happ is 1 for his last 24, especially struggling when runners get into scoring position. He is hitting .143 in those situations this season, including failing to come through in several spots during Friday's loss to the Astros -- the Cubs' sixth consecutive defeat.

"The thing that was most clear from yesterday was we needed to give Ian a break," Counsell said. "We've got a lot of guys not hitting. Ian is probably feeling it the most."

Happ isn't alone in struggling to get a hit when runners are in scoring position. Right fielder Seiya Suzuki is hitting .130 in those situations, and shortstop Dansby Swanson is hitting .170. The Cubs do a good job of getting players on -- they rank second in OBP -- but aren't driving them in enough. At least not lately.

"All the guys know they're going to go through this," Counsell said of the team's struggles at the plate. "But when you're going through it, it just hurts. You don't understand how you got there, you don't understand how you're going to get out of it. It feels worse than it is."

The Cubs were one of the top run-scoring teams through the first month of the season, but their offensive output over the past few weeks has led to a downturn in the standings. They have lost four consecutive series and the first game of their weekend set against the Astros.

It led to those lineup changes and the call-up of infield prospect Pedro Ramirez on Friday and outfielder Kevin Alcantara on Saturday. Neither was given serious thought to starting Saturday, according to Counsell, but they should see time on the field soon. Counsell was asked if Alcantara, who had 15 home runs at Triple-A, would play a lot.

"Kevin is on the roster," Counsell said. "When there are spots to get him in there, absolutely."

The Cubs designated infielder Nicky Lopezfor assignment to make room on the roster for Alcantara.

In addition to moving Crow-Armstrong up to first, second baseman Nico Hoerner was moved down in the lineup. He is batting fourth Saturday while Michael Conforto takes Happ's place in the lineup, hitting fifth.

"It's just giving everyone a different look," Counsell said. "It's one day. We'll see how it goes."