Cubs Have the Best Pitcher in the National League
The most important job that a pitcher has to do is not allow runs to score and so far through the first month of the 2023 regular season no one has done a better job at that than Chicago Cubs starter Justin Steele. The 27-year-old lefty threw 5.1 shutout innings against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night, leading the Cubs to a 6-0 win.
Steele did not have his best stuff at Wrigley Field, as the Cubs opened up a three-game series against the Padres, but he once again found a way to shut down his opponent. Steele only gave up three hits and he did walk two batters, however, for the second time this season the left-hander did not surrender a single earned run. Not only did Steele break up the team’s mini, two-game losing streak, but he won his fourth start in a row and he also extended another personal streak that goes back to last season.
The new Cubs ace has now allowed two earned runs or less in 12 consecutive starts, tying Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani for the second longest streak in MLB. Atlanta Braves ace Max Fried currently has the longest such streak at 13 starts in a row with no more than two earned runs allowed.
New National League ERA Leader
With the 5.1 scoreless innings on Tuesday night, Justin Steele lowered his ERA to 1.19 through his first five starts of the 2023 season. Only three pitchers in the National League have pitched more innings after Tuesday than Steele, who has 30.1 innings under his belt; Zac Gallen, 31.1 IP, Clayton Kershaw, 31 IP, Logan Webb, 30.2 IP, but no one else has a lower ERA than the Cubs starter.
That’s right, Justin Steele is your current ERA leader in the National League after five starts.
Right-handed pitcher Spencer Strider currently ranks second behind Steele with a 1.80 ERA in 30 innings with the Braves.
Steele was a fifth round pick by the Cubs in 2014. So yeah, maybe it took a little longer than we wanted, but the Cubs have developed a homegrown starting pitcher that has evolved into a top pitcher in the National League in his third season in the majors and really only his second season being a full-time member of the starting rotation.
Cubs Starting Pitchers Dominating
The entire Cubs starting rotation has a combined 3.09 ERA, which ranks second in the National League behind the Atlanta Braves, who are at 3.05.
Following their 6-0 win against the San Diego Padres, the Cubs pitching staff recorded their fifth shutout this season through 22 games. The team has only done that three other times in franchise history, with the last time coming in 1969.
Along with Steele, the Cubs have two more starting pitchers in the top-15 in ERA in the National League.
Justin Steele: 1.19 ERA – 1st
Marcus Stroman: 2.17 ERA – 5th
Drew Smyly: 3.13 ERA – 13th
Those three have been a big reason why the Cubs haven’t lost more than three games in a row since the first week of the regular season. David Ross has been getting some great pitching to begin the season.
The Cubs are now 13-9, the fourth best record in the National League.