MILWAUKEE — Any year now, Cubs lefty Justin Steele will be credited with one of those elusive distinctions known in baseball circles as a pitching victory.
OK, so it might not happen this year. But it almost has to happen eventually — later rather than sooner, because we’re so far beyond “sooner” here, it isn’t even funny.
After six innings and a hard-luck no-decision Saturday in the Cubs’ 5-3 win against the Brewers at American Family Field, Steele, who was a first-time All-Star in 2023, has a dirty dozen starts this season — six of them in a sparkling June — without a single win on his record.
His ERA for the month was 2.03 and would have been lower but for some terrible Cubs defense in the third inning, when the Brewers scored twice to tie the game 2-2. But on a team that doesn’t have any veterans putting up standout numbers, let alone career years, Steele’s ERA or any amount of bad luck he’s been confronted with really doesn’t mean squat.
As Steele tore through the first two innings in a total 14 pitches, though, it looked, felt and smelled like his day to break through. Oh, well.
A bullpen that has taken more than its share of abuse this season came through with three shutdown innings. Luke Little and Porter Hodge are still auditioning for regular roles in leverage situations, but they were dialed in Saturday and have made meaningful impressions on manager Craig Counsell.
“I think they’re definitely part of it, for sure, no question about it,” Counsell said.
Hector Neris got the save, the 100th of his career. That’s a pretty nice-looking number compared with Steele’s 2024 win total of zero.
“That’s what it took to win a ballgame today,” Steele said. “It’s just what matters at this point. We’ve just got to win ballgames.”
Mr. Midsummer
Somebody has to represent the Cubs in this year’s All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas, and pretty much the only player with a shot at it is — barring the unforeseeable — rookie starting pitcher Shota Imanaga.
The lefty is 7-2 with a 3.07 ERA — legit numbers, to be sure — but his ERA has climbed from 1.89 over the last two of his 15 starts.
“[The All-Star Game] sort of has been the goal,” he said via an interpreter. “However, looking back at my last couple of outings, I feel like I’m not quite there yet. I’m not pitching to that standard. So I think my goal moving forward to the next couple games is to keep pitching well and, hopefully, it will happen.”
This and that
- When Christopher Morel was caught stealing Saturday, it kept the Cubs at 36 stolen bases for June — still their most in a month since the 1990 team swiped 37 in August. Sunday brings one last shot.
- In injury news, reliever Mark Leiter Jr. (right forearm strain) resumed his throwing program Saturday after chucking the ball around for the first time a day earlier. He’s on the injured list until at least July 9. Ben Brown (strained neck) threw a bullpen session and Caleb Killian (shoulder) a 36-pitch simulated game.
- Saturday was the 10th anniversary of the longest game, by time — 6 hours, 27 minutes — in Cubs history. You remember that 4-3 win against the Rockies at Wrigley Field, don’t you? Doesn’t Cubs backup catcher John Baker getting the “W” as a pitcher ring a bell? Of course it does.Latest on the Cubs
If these Cubs were mere pretenders in the first place, what’s a new month going to change about that?
Just when the Cubs might have begun to feel a tiny bit of hope that their bleak season might get better and brighter, the Brewers blitzed them as if to say, “Enjoy baseball oblivion, suckers.”
In this Cubs notebook, we also look at Drew Smyly’s 300th game pitched, Ethan Roberts’ long-awaited return to the mound and a very small club with Ian Happ as a member.
