CHICAGO (670 The Score) – Perhaps Cubs catcher Yan Gomes said it best after ace Justin Steele fired eight scoreless innings of two-hit ball in his team’s 5-0 win against the Giants on Monday afternoon at Wrigley Field.
“September is really when the Cy Youngs start to come out,” Gomes said. "Games like this, the voters like it. You know how it goes. We as a team are playing good baseball, and he is going out there each time giving us a chance to win. He is becoming the elite pitcher we thought he would be. These kinds of moments are big in that race.”
While striking out a career-high 12 on Monday, Steele improved to 16-3 and now carries a 2.55 ERA, the second-best mark in the National League, trailing only Padres left-hander Blake Snell (2.50). His 16 wins are tied for the most in MLB with Braves ace Spencer Strider. Snell and Strider are Steele’s main competition in the NL Cy Young race.
"It’s really cool to hear that,” Steele said when asked for his thoughts on being a leading contender in the Cy Young race. “It's quite an honor. For me, I just want to show up every start and win ball games. I really like where the team is at. It feels we are clicking on all cylinders. Everyone seems to be picking each other up when it is needed. It's just a lot of fun playing for this team right now. We are playing really well.”
With a projected five starts left for Steele in the regular season, he has a chance to become the Cubs’ first 20-game since Jake Arrieta won 22 games in 2015 in his Cy Young-winning season. Steele's continued excellence has left Cubs manager David Ross impressed each time out.
“It's really fun to watch guys like Justin throw like that,” Ross said. “That's especially true when you are going toe-to-toe with the better pitchers (Logan Webb on Monday) in the game. He has been that horse for us and been as consistent as anyone we have had for a while now. I love that his name is being mentioned for the award. He deserves that. But for us, it feels like when he pitches, he is going to give us a really good chance to win each time out.”
Steele now owns a 2.25 ERA in 16 starts at Wrigley Field this season, and he has shown no signs of slowing down as he has thrown a career-high 152 innings. Each time out, his focus is on giving the Cubs the best chance to win.
“I have always believed in myself,” Steele said. “I always felt I was capable of doing really good things. The dominos have fallen where they have, and it's a blessing. I thank God for it. It’s just awesome.”
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.