Justin Steele discusses Cubs' pitching rotation |
CHICAGO - Despite the loss in the final game of the series to the Texas Rangers, the Cubs are starting off the season well, aided by a strong pitching rotation. Pitcher Michael Stroman has been playing at a high level recently, as well as pitcher Justin Steele. While he had some ups and downs in that 8-2 loss, he still felt like he did a solid job overall with his adjustments.
“I was kind of feeling good throughout the outing and stuff as far as my arm and whatnot,” Steele said. “You know, it’s just, trying to make pitch adjustments from pitch to pitch and stuff, like if I missed a play, just trying to make an adjustment. But I felt like I did a good job as the game played out … Overall, I felt like I was putting good pitches together, good sequence and stuff. I always enjoy a win.” Stroman has excelled in getting strikeouts, with 14 so far; that is No. 1 on the Cubs and No. 14 in the MLB among all pitchers this season. Steele, on the other hand, has 11 strikeouts, which is second on the team. He attributes his performance in part to following Stroman as he sets the example. “It’s fun to follow him up after his outing yesterday.” Steele said. “I was like, ‘He showed me the way, I just got to go out there and do it now.’ We always joke back and forth and stuff, but it’s always good to follow (Stroman) up and stuff. You know, he’s doing a hell of a job this year.” The pitching change between Stroman and Steele is also something that has benefitted the Cubs so far this season. Stroman is a right-hander who has a different combination he likes compared to left-handed Steele. Thus, between the changes in pitching style, Steele argues that it makes it harder for batters going from one to the other. “I’d say it’s tough on hitters because it’s a completely different look, you know,” Steele said. Going from (Stroman) to me the next day, lefty right with a lot (of) different mixes and stuff and so, I’d say it’s been beneficial.” Last year, he started a total of 24 games and pitched 119 innings. In those 119 innings, he allowed 111 hits and 42 earned runs. Steele took a step up at pitching last year compared to 2021, where he allowed 12 home runs in just 57 innings and his earned run average (ERA) was 4.26. 2022 was significantly better, with an ERA of 3.18. Right now, it sits at 0.75. He dedicated a lot of time in the offseason toward improving his game to continue to improve as a pitcher. He came into this season a little heavier than last season as a result; this is because he loses weight as the season goes on and he wanted to minimize the risk of injury. “I moved to Arizona and being hands-on with the staff day-in and day-out, I think played a huge role,” Steele said. “You know, we all had a common goal in mind and that was, you know, prolong what I did last year and make it last over a whole season without any injuries or anything of that nature.” The next challenge the Cubs face is their series against the Seattle Mariners. First baseman Ty France is their best batter currently with a .326 average. He has a total of 14 hits, 6 runs batted in (RBIs) and a home run. However, he is their only batter with an average above .300; their batter with the second-highest batting average on the team is Julio Rodriguez at .283. This should play into the Cubs’ hands a bit since they will be able to rely on their strong pitching rotation.
