The Cubs don’t have unrealistic expectations.

They know perfection is impossible over the course of a 162-game marathon, especially when rookies are involved and experiencing the big leagues for the first time.

So when a play like Pete Crow-Armstrong’s mistake happens in Saturday’s game that was a big reason why the Cubs lost, the coaching staff tries to turn it into a positive.

Crow-Armstrong got too aggressive on a popup in the 8th inning and called off Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, leading to a pair of runs scoring to tie the game. The Cubs eventually gave up the go-ahead run in the 9th and saw their 3-game winning streak come to an end.

“Mistakes are learning opportunities,” Craig Counsell said. “That’s how you have to treat them. You have to treat the mistakes as an opportunity to coach, as an opportunity to learn. I think that goes from Pete to if Ian Happ makes a mistake.

“We have to use mistakes as an opportunity to learn. That’s how we get better. The unfortunate part of [Saturday] was that it was a moment in the game where it hurt. It hurt everybody, right? That tied the game for them. It was in a big spot.

“We have to use it as an opportunity to learn and to prevent it from happening. Learn how to maybe do it a little differently and a little better next time.”

Crow-Armstrong just turned 22 in March and has appeared in only 87 big-league games. In the minors, he has 240 games under his belt as he was limited to just 6 contests in his first season in pro ball in 2021 due to an injury.

Since he was drafted in 2020 when there was no minor-league season, Crow-Armstrong has missed plenty of developmental time in games.

The Cubs believe strongly in Crow-Armstrong’s potential. And they also believe he can help the team win games up here in the majors – and that is more important than working through his learning moments in Triple-A.

Even with the mistake Saturday, Crow-Armstrong still ranks as an elite defender in center field – one of the most important spots on the diamond.

When the Cubs called up Crow-Armstrong for good in late-May, they understood there would be some rookie moments and they were willing to live with that.

“One thing we certainly expect is you want Pete to improve during the season,” Counsell said. “And you want to get to points where you think there’s positive things happening and growth happening. That’s probably what you expect the most – that you see growth happening.

“When you challenge a young player with an everyday job against major-league pitching, then you know there’s going to be some ups and downs with that.”