Pete Crow-Armstrong didn’t shy away from the mistake he made that cost the Cubs in their 5-4 loss to the Cardinals.

“I called it when I shouldn’t have,” he said. “Simple as that.”

Clinging to a 4-2 lead with a pair of runners on and 2 outs in the 8th, Porter Hodge looked to have escaped the jam by inducing a 79.2 mph popup — that had a .060 expected batting average, per Statcast — to shallow center from Nolan Arenado.

[WATCH: Pete Crow-Armstrong reacts to 8th inning miscue]

As the ball skyrocketed in the air, Nico Hoerner charged to the outfield grass and was just setting himself underneath the ball when he heard his center fielder calling for the ball. Hoerner moved out of the way and let Crow-Armstrong make the play. But Crow-Armstrong had to slide for the ball and it fell in front of him, allowing both runs to score and tie the game.

“I mean it’s the play we’ve all practiced our whole lives as far as the rules of it, where an infielder you go until you hear something,” Hoerner said. “We did that today and the ball dropped, unfortunately.

“I feel like we get that play 100 times, we catch it 99 times.”

The Cardinals would take the lead in the top of the 9th and hold on for a difficult loss for the Cubs.

“Frankly we had a play to get out of the inning,” manager Craig Counsell said. “And I think Pete just got a little over-aggressive. It’s right to call them off, but not if we’re making a sliding play.

“I think it’s a learning experience for Pete, but unfortunately it contributed to a big play in the game that, ultimately, cost us 2 runs.”

The biggest learning experience for Crow-Armstrong is for this to not affect him. He’s still been an incredible defender this season — his 11 Outs Above Average this season are 11th in baseball, an impressive number given OAA is a counting statistic and Crow-Armstrong started the season in the minors.

“He’s one of the best defenders — if not the best defender — I’ve ever been around and he’s gonna win us countless games this year and for years to come,” Hoerner said. “He’s been playing great all-around baseball and impacting the game every single day and that one dropped, but if we do that get that same ball again tomorrow and he calls it, I’m gonna trust him.”

His teammates are reminding him of the faith they have in him roaming the pasture.

“I mean, Pete’s been pretty awesome on defense,” Jameson Taillon said. “So, the thing I would say to him — I don’t want him to ever feel timid going after balls and stuff. Just because this one instance happened, doesn’t mean you don’t call balls and you don’t try to be a ball hawk out there and make every play.

“He’s gonna get a bunch more opportunities. He’s fun to watch run down balls in the gaps and stuff. You just hope he stays aggressive and still wants every ball that he sees up in the air.”

The nature of Major League Baseball leads to razor-thin margins in wins and losses. That play is the difference between a difficult loss that moves the Cubs to 5 games under .500 and a win that would have them riding a 4-game winning streak.

“Look, I mean, this sport is exposing,” Hoerner said. “We’ve all had plays and moments that really hurt and he plays the game hard. He plays the game to win just like me, just like a lot of guys in this room. Those things are hard to process. I’m there for him 100%. Everyone knows that he’s playing the game to win, and it just didn’t work out today.”