CHICAGO -- As the baseball left the bat of Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, Cubs reliever Porter Hodge pounded a fist into his glove in celebration. The pitcher had induced a high fly ball to shallow center field and looked on the cusp of escaping without too much damage in the eighth inning on Saturday.

“Wrigley in day games,” Cubs starter Jameson Taillon said. “Some weird stuff can happen.”

In this case, rookie center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong -- one of the more talented defenders in baseball -- made an err in judgment. He called off second baseman Nico Hoerner and attempted a sliding catch, but the ball dropped under his glove, leading to a costly two-run blunder that sent the Cubs on their way to a 5-4 loss to the rival Cardinals.

The ongoing offensive development of the 22-year-old Crow-Armstrong has been discussed in great detail, but he is revered for his defensive instincts. That does not make the rookie immune to mistakes, which can be used as learning moments as he continues to grow into the Gold Glove-caliber center fielder the Cubs believe he can be in the future.

“Pete just got a little over aggressive,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s right to call him off, but not if we’re making a sliding play. It’s a learning experience for Pete, but unfortunately, it contributed to a big play in the game that ultimately cost us two runs.”

Hodge took the hill armed with a 4-1 lead in the eighth, issuing a one-out walk to Alec Burleson before hitting Willson Contreras with a pitch. Later with two outs, the Cubs rookie reliever generated a grounder off the bat of Brendan Donovan. Third baseman Isaac Paredes made a wild throwing error, opening the door for the first St. Louis run in the frame.

That set things up for Arenado, who lofted a fastball from Hodge high into the air. Per Statcast, Hoerner needed to cover 61 feet to make the play, while Crow-Armstrong was 108 feet from the catch. Hoerner -- a 2023 Gold Glove winner at second base -- glided to the spot, waving his arms to signal for the ball (one with a .060 expected batting average).

When Hoerner heard the fleet-footed Crow-Armstrong calling him off, the second baseman moved out of the way.

“It’s the play we’ve all practiced our whole lives, as far as the rules of it,” Hoerner said, “where an infielder, you go until you hear something. We did that today, and the ball dropped, unfortunately. I feel like if we do that play 100 times, we catch it 99 times.”

The end result did not shake Hoerner’s faith in Crow-Armstrong, who entered the day in the 95th percentile in range (seven Outs Above Average) and 93rd percentile in Fielding Run Value (eight), per Statcast, with 10 Defensive Runs Saved (one off the MLB lead).

“I feel like the biggest takeaway from my end, and if there’s anything I can emphasize,” Hoerner said, “it’s that play is all about trust. And I trust Pete as much as anyone I've ever played with. He’s one of the best defenders, if not the best defender, I’ve ever been around. And he’s going to win us countless games this year and for years to come.”

Taillon also hoped the play -- one that scored Contreras and Donovan to pull the game into a 4-4 tie -- did not deter Crow-Armstrong from maintaining his aggressiveness.

“Pete’s been pretty awesome on defense,” said Taillon, who allowed one run in a six-inning quality start. “The thing I would say to him, I don’t want him to ever feel timid going after balls. Just because this one instance happened doesn’t mean you don’t call balls and you don’t try to be a ballhawk out there and make every play.

“He’s going to 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.”

Told of his teammates’ support, Crow-Armstrong preferred to hold himself accountable.

“I’m appreciative of that but I think we’re past the point of giving me a little leash there,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I definitely appreciate that from my teammates. I’d say the same thing to Nico, because that was his ball.

“I know better. I just did a poor job of checking for him. I think that’s just me needing to slow the game down or that play down.”