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
Rotowire
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.
Steele (16-5) allowed six runs on eight hits and struck out six without walking a batter over three-plus innings, taking the loss Wednesday versus the Pirates.
Steele was cruising through three innings, but he allowed six straight singles to open the fourth. That produced four runs, and two more were tacked onto Steele's line when Jose Cuas allowed a three-run home run to Josh Palacios. It appears Steele may be wearing down late in the year, as he's allowed 12 runs over his last nine innings while taking back-to-back losses for the first time. He's throw 168 innings this year, 49 more than his previous high in a season, which was set last year. Despite this poor outing, he still has a 3.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 170:35 K:BB over 29 starts. The southpaw is projected for a challenging road start in Atlanta next week.
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.
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
Rotowire
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: Nabs another quality start
Rotowire
Steele (15-3) earned the win Tuesday, allowing six hits and one walk over six scoreless innings against the Brewers. He struck out eight.
Steele collected his third straight quality start Tuesday, holding the Brewers scoreless across six innings of action while fanning eight batters. Though the southpaw has only gone deeper than 6.1 innings twice this season, he's surrendered three or fewer earned runs in 14 consecutive appearances. Steele boasts a 2.69 ERA and 141:31 K:BB across 144 innings on the year and is expected to take on the Reds at Great American Ball Park for his next outing.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Allows two in no-decision
Rotowire
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.
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.
