Cubs' Justin Steele: Goes four innings against Phillies
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Steele didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 10-4 win over the Phillies, allowing two runs on four hits over four innings. He struck out three without issuing a walk.
Steele only threw 62 pitches Tuesday as he continues to work his way back from a three-week absence due to elbow tendinitis. The left-hander will likely wrap up an injury-hampered campaign with a 3.07 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 135:37 K:BB across 134.2 innings.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Rejoining rotation Wednesday
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Cubs manager Craig Counsell announced Tuesday that Steele (elbow) will be reinstated from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday against the Athletics, Ryan Herrera of AllCHGO.com reports.
The left-hander landed on the shelf after experiencing elbow tendinitis following his last start Aug. 27 in Pittsburgh, and he'll be back with the Cubs for the final week and a half of the campaign. If Chicago sticks to a five-man rotation, Steele tentatively lines up for three starts before the end of the regular season. The 29-year-old has a 3.09 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 131:34 K:BB across 128 innings this season.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Could return from IL soon
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Steele (elbow) told reporters after his bullpen session Saturday that he expects to be activated off the 15-day injured list during the Cubs' upcoming homestand, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.
Steele landed on the 15-day injured list Sept. 4 due to left elbow tendinitis. He threw a couple of bullpen sessions after some rest, and the 29-year-old southpaw appears to be nearing a return without the need for a rehab assignment. The earliest Steele can be activated off the IL is Sept. 18, which would be the series finale against the Athletics, though the Cubs could wait until the following series against the Nationals to activate Steele. He has a 5-5 record over 22 starts this season with a 3.09 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 131:34 K:BB across 128 innings.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Bullpen coming soon
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The Cubs are hopeful Steele will be cleared to throw a bullpen session at some point during the current road trip, which runs until Sunday in Colorado, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Manager Craig Counsell noted that Steele hasn't experienced any issues while playing catch, so the next step will be for the southpaw to resume throwing off a mound. He'll likely be asked to complete a side session or two before getting the green light to face live hitters.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Lands on injured list
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The Cubs placed Steele on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with left elbow tendinitis, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Steele had to be scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday due to inflammation in his elbow, and he'll now officially sit out for another few turns through the rotation following his latest diagnosis. Kyle Hendricks started in Steele's place against the Pirates and figures to serve as Chicago's fifth starter while the left-hander is sidelined.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: MRI shows elbow inflammation
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Steele has been diagnosed with left elbow inflammation following an MRI, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.
He will undergo additional imaging, but the left-hander received good news from the initial test results. Steele had to be scratched from a scheduled start Tuesday versus the Pirates due to elbow soreness, which he admitted he's been dealing with for a while. No decision has been made regarding a potential stint on the 15-day injured list, but it's a move that seems likely. Kyle Hendricks is starting in Steele's place Tuesday.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Dominates Tigers
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Steele (4-5) picked up the win Thursday against Detroit, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks across seven innings. He struck out 10.
Steele blanked the Tigers on two hits across the first six innings before allowing a single to Colt Keith and a two-run homer to Spencer Torkelson back-to-back in the seventh. The left-handed Steele reached double-digit strikeouts for the first time this season. In 21 starts, Steele has a 3.07 ERA and a 125:32 K:BB across 123 innings. Steele is on track to face the Pirates in Pittsburgh for his next start.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Strong in no-decision
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Steele allowed an unearned run on six hits and two walks while striking out eight over six innings in a no-decision versus the White Sox on Saturday.
Steele posted his second quality start in a row, but he didn't get enough run support while in the game to collect the win. The southpaw has allowed 16 runs (15 earned) over 43.2 innings across his last seven starts, while a pair of five-run outings has affected those numbers. For the year, Steele is at a 3.16 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 112:31 K:BB through 114 innings over 19 starts. He's projected to make his next outing at home versus the Blue Jays.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Handles Cardinals for third win
Rotowire
Steele (3-5) got the win over the Cardinals on Sunday, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out six in 6.2 innings.
Steele and the Cubs went down 2-0 in the third after Masyn Winn opened up the scoring with a two-run blast to left. That was the only damage Steele would permit, and he was dominant otherwise, retiring 12 straight batters between the third and seventh innings. Steele has now given up a home run in back-to-back outings, but Sunday was his first start surpassing six innings since July 11. The 28-year-old lefty owns a 3.33 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 104:29 K:BB in 108 innings and lines up for a matchup against the reeling White Sox his next time on the mound.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Fans four in no-decision
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Steele did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's loss to the Brewers, allowing two earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out four in 5.1 innings.
Steele came out of the All-Star break flat, yielding five earned runs on nine hits in his previous start. Wednesday's outing was certainly an improvement, but his 4:3 K:BB was underwhelming, especially compared to his pre-intermission production. In nine starts leading up to the All-Star break, Steele dazzled with a 1.48 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 58:12 K:BB in 61 innings. The southpaw will look to find his form in his next start, currently scheduled for early next week in Cincinnati.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Stumbles vs. Arizona
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Steele (2-4) took the loss Friday against the Diamondbacks, allowing five runs on nine hits and two walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out six.
It was a tough start to the second half for Steele, who allowed a season-high nine hits en route to his first loss since June 7. The left-hander delivered seven straight quality starts prior to the All-Star break, posting a stellar 1.65 ERA in that span (49 innings). Steele's ERA now sits at 3.07 with a 1.02 WHIP and 87:20 K:BB across 15 starts (91 innings) this season. He'll look to get back on track in his next outing, currently scheduled for next week at home against Milwaukee.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Impressive again Thursday
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Steele (2-3) earned the win over Baltimore on Thursday, pitching seven scoreless innings during which he gave up three hits and issued no walks while striking out four batters.
Steele shut down a potent Orioles lineup, retiring the first 11 batters he faced and allowing just three baserunners (all on doubles) overall. The left-hander couldn't get into the win column over his first 12 starts but has now notched consecutive victories, allowing just one run over 16 innings while posting an 11:2 K:BB during that stretch. Steele's excellence extends further than that -- he's posted seven straight quality starts, registering a 1.65 ERA and 45:7 K:BB across 49 frames over that span.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Throws complete game for first win
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Steele (1-3) earned the win against the Angels on Friday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over nine innings.
Steele needed just 95 pitches to toss his first career complete game. The only blemish was an RBI single by Taylor Ward in the fifth, but the lefty responded by retiring 13 consecutive batters to seal his much overdue first win of the year. The 29-year-old has logged six straight quality starts and owns a 2.95 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 77:18 K:BB over 79.1 innings this season. He lines up for a road matchup with the Orioles next week.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Logs quality start in no-decision
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Steele allowed three runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out five batters over six innings in a no-decision against Milwaukee on Saturday.
Steele gave up a pair of runs in the third inning and another in the fourth but finished his outing by retiring seven straight batters. The southpaw stuck around just long enough to notch his fifth straight quality start, though this was his least impressive appearance during that span. Over the five-game stretch, Steele has posted a 2.18 ERA and 34:5 K:BB over 33 innings, but he doesn't have a win to show for that success.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Good start goes to waste
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Steele allowed two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out nine over 7.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Giants on Monday.
The downside to Steele's outing was that two of the hits on his line were solo home runs from Matt Chapman and Nick Ahmed. The southpaw hadn't given up a homer in any of his last five starts, and the Giants were able to continue their comeback push against the Cubs' bullpen to deny Steele his first win of the year. Despite the lack of positive results, he's logged five quality starts in 11 outings with a 3.08 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 65:16 K:BB over 64.1 innings. Steele is projected for a tough road matchup at Milwaukee this weekend.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Fans eight in no-decision
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Steele did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Giants, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks over 6.2 innings. He struck out eight.
The Chicago southpaw posted his third straight quality start as he generated 14 whiffs en route to eight punchouts, tying the season high he'd set May 27 against Milwaukee. The Giants managed to collect both runs against Steele on a fifth-inning double yielded to Curt Casali. Although Steele is still searching for his first win, he's been a dependable arm with a 3.16 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 56:15 K:BB over 57 innings this season. He's scheduled make his next start against the Giants again, but in San Francisco.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Tosses seven shutout in no-decision
Rotowire
Steele did not factor into the decision Monday against Milwaukee, allowing three hits and one walk over seven shutout innings. He struck out eight.
Steele posted his best start since returning from a hamstring injury May 6, generating 13 whiffs in 93 total pitches. The Cubs lefty limited a ferocious Brewers offense that entered with the fourth-best team wRC+ at 115, allowing Milwaukee to scatter only four singles. Steele's ERA is now 4.45 over total 32.1 innings with 31:7 K:BB. The 28-year-old is currently slated to face the Reds at home in his next start.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Activated ahead of Monday's start
Rotowire
The Cubs activated Steele (hamstring) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Monday against the Padres at Wrigley Field.
Steele will rejoin the rotation Monday after being sidelined since straining his left hamstring Opening Day. The left-hander threw just 63 pitches in his lone rehab outing, so he'll likely have his workload curtailed Monday to some degree.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Throwing bullpen Saturday
Rotowire
Steele (hamstring) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday, after which he will be reevaluated to determine whether he's ready to rejoin the big-league rotation, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.
The left-hander felt good after he allowed three runs on six hits over 3.1 innings during a rehab start with Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, and the Cubs are now determining if another rehab start is necessary. Steele could step back into Chicago's rotation early next week if all goes well during Saturday's bullpen session.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Solid rehab outing
Rotowire
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that everything went well during Steele's (hamstring) rehab start with Triple-A Iowa, and the left-hander will meet with the team Friday after a Thursday workout, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
The 28-year-old hurt his hamstring in late March, but he's in the latter stages of his rehab program. It was only the first rehab outing for Steele, but if he checks out well Friday it's possible his next start comes with the big-league club.
