Cubs' Justin Steele makes first spring training start as Craig Counsell sits on Opening Day starter decision

MESA, Ariz. – New Cubs manager Craig Counsell hasn’t known Justin Steele long, but he already has an appreciation for how the lefty is able to mentally simplify the game.

“He creates conviction for himself,” Counsell said Friday. “Doesn't allow a lot of outside noise into his equation out there, and that works. We sometimes maybe think, ‘Oh that’s easy to do.’ How he’s doing it, it’s not that easy to do it. And so I appreciate that. It’s a sign of a clear-headed competitor.”

Steele made his first start of spring training Friday in the Cubs’ 10-6 win against the White Sox. He’s an obvious candidate to start Opening Day, after finishing No. 5 in National League Cy Young voting. But Counsell said he’ll wait at least another turn through the rotation to name his Opening Day starter.

“I think it’s earned,” Counsell said of his philosophy in making that decision.

Has the thought of being the Opening Day starter crossed Steele’s mind?

“Not really,” he told the Sun-Times on Thursday. “That's not something I really put too much emphasis on. I just like pitching; just going out there and doing my best job. If it happens, it happens.”

No need to complicate it.

Last season, Steele recorded the third-best ERA (3.06) among qualified National League pitchers, with mostly two pitches. His four-seam fastball accounted for 62.6% of his pitches, and his slider 33.9%.

“He throws the baseball in a way that it just does a little something different each time,” said Counsell, whose Brewers scored only three runs in three games against Steele last season. “And that is hard for hitters. Hitters don't like what they don't see very often.

“They calibrate to a movement on a pitch, and then when it moves differently the next time, and they're never really sure what to expect, that's what makes it hard for them to square up the baseball on him.”

Steele was also proud of reaching the 30-start threshold for the first time in his career. This year he’s targeting over 180 innings, “push 200 innings,” and surpass 30 starts.

“And then pitch in the playoffs and compile playoff innings,” he said.

Steele, again working out at the Cubs’ Mesa facility all winter, re-implemented his offseason plan from last year, with some minor tweaks. He added a little extra conditioning to help set him up to reach those goals.

Steele went into his start Friday looking to accomplish two things. He wanted to make sure he was at a “comfort level” with his four-seam fastball and slider. And he wanted to push outside of his comfort zone with his sinker and changeup.

“Threw some good sinkers, some good change ups, mixed in the curveball a few times,” Steele said after throwing three innings.

He held the White Sox hitless through 2 ⅓ innings, and the first of two hits he allowed was a soft grounder back to him. The White Sox scored on a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch.

“I really liked that I went back out there for the third, got the pitch count up, the three up-downs, You know, getting my body to a point where it was starting to get a little bit tired towards the end,” Steele said. “It's good to get that one out of the way, with the first one, and start building from there.”

Cubs 10, White Sox 6

• The Cubs (4-3-1) overcame issues picking up fly balls in the bright Arizona sky to beat the White Sox for the second time this spring. Several outfielders had problems with the sun, but in the fifth inning, top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong lost two fly balls, extending the Sox' four-run rally. The Cubs scored five in the bottom half of the inning.
• Cubs reliever Adbert Alzolay was scheduled to pitch Friday, he told the Sun-Times, but he started feeling sick Thursday. The Cubs plan to push back his schedule by two days.
• Outfield prospect Owen Caissie went 2-for-3 with a home run. He’s batting .636 in Cactus League play.
• First baseman Garrett Cooper has been in camp in recent days, but the team had not yet officially announced his non-roster invite deal as of Friday evening.
• On deck: Cubs at Dodgers, 2:05 p.m. Saturday, Glendale, Marquee, Shota Imanaga vs. TBA.