CHICAGO (670 The Score) – In his first career MLB start, Cubs left-hander Justin Steele took the loss but also impressed.
Steele went a career-long five innings in his team's 4-2 loss to the Brewers in the opener of a doubleheader at Wrigley Field on Tuesday afternoon, allowing three runs, all earned, on five hits and a walk while striking out one.
"I would say I was calm and composed," Steele said. "I felt really good out there today. It felt really good to be back at Wrigley and pitching here with the fans energy to build off of."
Steele, 26, posted a 2.03 ERA in 11 appearances with the Cubs earlier in the season and had been building up his arm to starter's length at Triple-A Iowa in recent weeks.
Steele was strong for the first three innings Tuesday, allowing just one infield hit and inducing seven groundouts. He was hit hard in the fourth inning, when the Brewers sandwiched a pair of homers around a double in a three-run frame.
Steele and the Cubs viewed the start as a good building block for him moving forward.
"He started out really well I thought," manager David Ross said. "He made a couple of mistakes early with some soft stuff, but overall, it was a nice start."
Steele's fastball was good Tuesday, while the Brewers got to him on a couple off-speed pitches.
"I am going out there and throwing my stuff that day," Steele said in his confidence level in all of his pitches. "I really trust in my stuff. I am very confident in myself. I am just going right at hitters. I am not trying to get in 3-1 counts. I don't want the hitter to be in a favored position. I just go right at them and let my stuff play."
Steele was thankful for the opportunity and success he had out of the bullpen earlier in the season, believing it will make his starting role easier to get accustomed to at the big league level.
"Coming up here in the bullpen first helped me a ton," he said. "This helped me a lot in my debut as far as the mental side goes. I always knew I could pitch at this level. Everybody believed in me – thanks to everyone here that was willing to give me a shot."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
