Steele won't start Sunday against the Brewers after the Cubs were eliminated from playoff contention Saturday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
The Cubs stumbled down the stretch and are no longer in postseason contention, so they won't send out their ace for the final game of the season. Steele struggled over his final three outings with 15 runs allowed, but he was in the thick of the race for the NL Cy Young Award for most of the campaign and will finish his third year in MLB with a 3.06 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 176:36 K:BB over 173.1 innings.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Allows three runs in no-decision
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Steele did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk over 5.1 innings against Atlanta. He struck out six.
Steele held Atlanta off the board through five innings Tuesday before surrendering three runs in the sixth. Chicago's bullpen would ultimately squander a three-run lead, leaving Steele with a no-decision. Despite a tough finish, it was a step in the right direction for the left-hander after he allowed six runs in each of his prior two outings. Steele will carry a 3.06 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 176 strikeouts into his final start of the regular season, currently scheduled for this weekend in Milwaukee.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Rare misstep in loss
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Steele (16-4) allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five over six innings to take the loss Friday versus the Diamondbacks.
The six runs allowed matched Steele's season high, as well as the total of runs he gave up over his last 33 innings across five starts. The loss was his first since July 16, and it was just the third time all year he's allowed multiple home runs. Steele has a 2.73 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 164:35 K:BB through 165 innings over 28 starts. He's lined up for a favorable home start versus the Pirates next week.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Looks sharp in no-decision
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Steele allowed just one run on six hits across seven innings but did not factor into the decision Saturday against the Diamondbacks. He had no walks and struck out six.
Steele dazzled, but the Cubs managed just one run while he was in there and only two for the whole game as they fell in 10 innings. The lefty was excellent nonetheless, and over his last five starts he has a 1.36 ERA with 39 strikeouts across 33 innings. For the season, Steele has a stellar 2.49 ERA, and he's firmly in the NL Cy Young race. He'll look to keep rolling and pick up his 17th win in his next scheduled start, which is penciled in for Friday against these same Diamondbacks.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Dazzles in 16th win
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Steele (16-3) earned the win Monday against the Giants, striking out 12 over eight shutout innings. He scattered two hits and two walks.
Steele shined in front of the holiday crowd at Wrigley Field, notching a career-high 12 punchouts. The one-time All-Star now has seven wins in his last nine starts, dating back to July 21. He has produced a 2.64 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 54.2 innings over that span.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Allows two in no-decision
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Steele did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks over six innings against the Pirates. He struck out six.
Steele hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in a start since May 26. Though he came away with a no-decision Thursday, the 28-year-old southpaw has logged quality starts in nine of his last 11 outings. Steele is 14-3 on the season with a 1.17 WHIP and 133:30 K:BB across 24 starts (138 innings). He's currently lined up for a home matchup with the Brewers in his next outing early next week.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Strikes out seven for 14th win
Rotowire
Steele (14-3) earned the win Saturday, allowing two runs on six hits over six innings against the Royals. He struck out seven.
Steele found himself in some trouble after giving up back-to-back hits to open the second inning but managed to retire the next three batters as the Royals got one run across. The right-hander surrendered only three more hits from that point on while striking out seven batters for the third start in a row. Steele has now won his last five decisions (spanning six starts) and eight of his last nine. He has not allowed more than three earned runs since May 26 and his 14 wins have him tied with Spencer Strider for the major-league lead.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Strikes out seven in no-decision
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Steele did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing three runs on six hits over five innings against the Blue Jays while striking out seven.
Steele didn't have his best stuff Saturday, allowing at least one hit in four of his five innings of work and serving up a two-run homer to Whit Merrifield. The lefty had won each of his last four decisions coming in and has now allowed three runs in three straight outings to open the month of August. On a positive note, Steele did not issue a walk Saturday for the second time in his last three starts, and he's put together a solid 20:4 K:BB over that stretch.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Escapes with 13th win
Rotowire
Steele (13-3) allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits and four walks while striking out seven over 5.1 innings to earn the win over Atlanta on Sunday.
Steele has allowed no fewer than seven baserunners in each of his last four starts, but he's emerged with a win in each of them. His four walks Sunday matched his season high. While he's been shaky of late, the left-hander is still at a solid 2.75 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP and 113:28 K:BB through 121 innings over 21 starts this season. He's projected for a road outing in Toronto his next time out.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Picks up 11th win
Rotowire
Steele (11-3) earned the win Thursday, allowing a run on five hits and three walks over six innings in a 10-3 win over St. Louis. He struck out four.
Steele is now 5-1 over his last seven starts, with a 3.24 ERA in that span. The 28-year-old southpaw allowed just one run Thursday on an Andrew Knizner homer in the fifth inning. Steele's ERA is now down to 2.87 on the season with a 1.12 WHIP and 100:24 K:BB across 19 starts (109.2 innings). He currently lines up for a home matchup with the Reds in his next outing.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Season-high nine strikeouts
Rotowire
Steele (10-3) earned the win Friday, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk over 6.1 innings in a 4-3 victory over the Cardinals. He struck out nine.
Steele bounced back with a season-high nine strikeouts and submitted his 12th quality start of the year Friday after giving up a season-high six runs to Boston last time out. The left-hander's command has really stood out in 2023, as he's walked one or fewer batters in 14 of his 18 starts and holds a 96:21 K:BB through 103.2 innings. Steele will look to make it back-to-back wins during his next start, which is tentatively scheduled for a rematch against the Cardinals in St. Louis.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Gets hit hard in loss
Rotowire
Steele (9-3) allowed six runs on 10 hits across six innings to take the loss Sunday against the Red Sox. He had one walk and six strikeouts.
The primary damage came from two Boston home runs, including a Masataka Yoshida grand slam in the fifth inning. Steele has now allowed nine earned runs in his last two starts after allowing just three total runs in his previous four starts. The lefty is up to 97.1 innings this season following a career-high 119 innings last year. It's possible that fatigue becomes a factor for Steele, so the Cubs may decide to skip his turn in the rotation at some point or otherwise limit his workload. He's currently slated to start again Friday against the Cardinals.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Stumbles in sixth inning
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Steele allowed three runs on nine hits and no walks while striking out five batters over six innings in a no-decision against Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Steele was excellent through five innings, giving up just one run on five hits. However, he served up a leadoff homer to Willy Adames in the sixth, then allowed one more run on three additional hits over the remainder of the frame. Steele was able to finish the sixth to notch the quality start, and a late Chicago comeback ensured that he didn't take the loss. This was just the fourth time in 16 starts this season that the southpaw allowed three or more earned runs, which is a testament to how solid he's been overall. Steele ranks sixth among qualified MLB pitchers with a 2.56 ERA and is tied for ninth with 11 quality starts.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Six strikeouts in scoreless outing
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Steele (9-2) earned the win Friday, allowing three hits and one walk over 6.1 scoreless innings against Cleveland. He struck out six.
Steele plunked the first batter he faced and followed that up by committing a throwing error while trying to start a routine double play, bringing Jose Ramirez to the plate with runners on first and second and no outs. However, the left-hander proceeded to retire the next three batters, including strikeouts of Ramirez and Josh Bell, to escape the first and then went on cruise control. The left-hander's scoreless outing lowered his ERA to 2.43, which is the best mark in the National League, and he sports a solid 76:19 K:BB across 85.1 innings. Steele has emerged as a workhorse at the top of Chicago's rotation this year, and his next start is lined up for a divisional matchup in Milwaukee.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Cruises to eighth win in London
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Steele (8-2) allowed one run on five hits across six innings to earn the win Saturday against the Cardinals. He walked one and struck out eight.
The Cubs jumped out to a 7-0 lead in London and that was more than enough for Steele, who picked up his second straight win since returning from the injured list due to a forearm strain. The lefty is building on last season's breakout campaign, as he now has a stellar 2.62 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 79 innings this season. Steele will look to keep rolling in his next outing toward the end of next week once the team returns from across the pond.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Activated ahead of start
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The Cubs reinstated Steele (forearm) from the 15-day injured list Saturday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Steele landed on the injured list June 3 (retroactive to June 2) and will return to the mound Saturday against Baltimore after a minimum IL stint. Overall, Steele has been solid all season; however, he's been rather inconsistent as of late, allowing five earned runs in two of his last four starts while shutting out opponents during the other two.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Cleared to start Saturday
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Steele (forearm) will be reinstated from the 15-day injured list to start Saturday against the Orioles, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.
Steele got through a bullpen session Thursday without any hiccups, clearing up any remaining concern about his ability to rejoin the rotation. The left-hander will be returning from the IL in the minimum 15 days and is skipping a rehab assignment, so it's possible he won't quite be ready for a full workload against Baltimore. Steele posted a 2.65 ERA in 12 starts before going down with a left forearm strain.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Throwing side session Tuesday
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Steele (forearm) is throwing a bullpen session Tuesday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Steele appears to be tracking toward a return from the 15-day injured list when first eligible this Saturday against the Orioles, assuming the Cubs aren't going to ask him to make a minor-league rehab start. The 27-year-old has progressed without issue so far in his recovery from a mild left forearm strain.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Has mild forearm strain
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Steele was diagnosed Friday with a mild left forearm strain, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
It's relatively good news for Steele, who was removed from his last turn in the rotation Wednesday after experiencing forearm tightness. He's yet to be placed on the injured list, though that move could still happen following another day or two of assessment and evaluation. The 27-year-old southpaw has been excellent so far in 2023, working to a 2.65 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 58:16 K:BB through 12 starts covering 68 innings.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Will undergo MRI on forearm
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Cubs manager David Ross said Steele will undergo an MRI on his left forearm Thursday, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Ross had no other information, and the MRI might just be precautionary, but there's an ominous feeling to this situation after Steele was forced from his start Wednesday afternoon against the Rays due to forearm tightness. He had thrown three perfect frames prior to his departure, lowering his season ERA to 2.65. If the 27-year-old southpaw requires a stint on the 15-day injured list -- which seems likely even if the MRI is clean -- Hayden Wesneski would be a good bet to fill the vacant rotation spot.
