It’s not just the weather that’s heating up around these parts this week.
Two of the hottest, most dynamic young hitters in the National League take center stage in the Cincinnati Reds’final home series of the season this weekend against NL MVP favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Chicago Cubs.
The series doesn’t mean a lot on the field to the Reds, who clinched a losing season when they lost three of four to the World Series-champion Dodgers in the first series of this final homestand.
But bragging rights are on the line. At least Joey Votto’s bragging rights.
Votto, the face of the franchise for a baseball generation and a popular broadcast pundit these days,
recently riled up the Cubs fan base with a social media post advocating for the long-term excellence of Reds star Elly De La Cruz vs. Crow-Armstrong.
Which makes this series a forum for two of the best young players in the game. Both of whom are 24, with an elite combination of power and speed. Both of whom are two-time All-Stars. Both of whom play marquee positions. Both of whom are playing at their peak down the stretch.
Call it the Clash of the JoVo Titans. Joey V’s Melee on Main Street. The Apocalypse on the Ohio.
Joey Votto’s Twitter-Troll Tango?
We’ll take our 5-tool ⭐️ over yours going forward, @Cubs. https://t.co/frGc87PsV4
— Joey Votto (@JoeyVotto) September 10, 2026
Whatever you want to call it, here’s the tale of the tape for the last month for Reds shortstop De La Cruz (.284, 28 home runs, 26 steals, .879 OPS this season) and Cubs center fielder Crow-Armstrong (.282, 44 homers, 37 steals, .956 OPS this season).
Their numbers since Aug. 22, in 24 games played by each since then:
Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong
- .297 (30-for-101), .357 on-base percentage
- 12 home runs
- 17 extra-base hits overall
- 6-for-6 stolen bases
- 24 runs, 25 RBI
- 1.070 OPS
Reds’ Elly De La Cruz
- .406 (39-for-96), .462 on-base percentage
- 8 home runs
- 18 extra-base hits overall
- 4-for-4 stolen bases
- 23 runs, 17 RBI
- 1.223 OPS
Let’s get ready to rumble.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Joey Votto bragging rights on line in Elly De La Cruz-PCA weekend bout
