Steele shows promise among emerging arms

CINCINNATI -- One of the ways the Cubs can expedite the rebuilding process in the coming seasons is to field a formidable rotation. That will likely entail finding a top-tier arm to pair with veteran Kyle Hendricks.

It will also require having some of Chicago's internal arms emerging as reliable pieces to the puzzle. That part of the evaluation process is underway, and it continued in a 14-5 loss to the Reds on Monday with lefty Justin Steele's latest start.

"We have to get to the end of this season and see what we have, right?" said Cubs manager David Ross, whose club has lost a season-high 12 in a row. "I think that's the key."

Before the Cubs can consider diving into the free-agent market -- the pared-down 2022 payroll will, at a minimum, allow for that possibility -- the team has to gauge how solid its foundation is with younger arms like Steele, Adbert Alzolay and Keegan Thompson.

Here is the latest on that part of the Cubs' rotation future:

1. Steele shows poise
One of the benefits to breaking Steele and Thompson into the big leagues as relievers earlier this season was proving to the pitchers that they belonged on the stage.

Long before the game got out of hand, Steele looked comfortable at Great American Ball Park.

"You could just tell the poise and presence in the moment," Ross said.

That comment on Steele was actually about his first MLB start on Tuesday, but it held true against the Reds. Yes, the lefty allowed a two-run homer to Jonathan India in the fourth, but Steele held Cincinnati to an 0-for-7 showing with runners in scoring position.

Steele escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the first. He used a slick glove flip to the plate to erase a would-be squeeze bunt by Reds pitcher Wade Miley in a scoreless second. He set down three in a row after Cincinnati had runners on the corners in the third.

“In those situations, you kind of have to be a little finer with your pitches, locate a little bit better,” Steele said. “It's just some gritty moments. You kind of have to bite down and get after it.

“I'm not going to say I like those moments, but I like getting out of those moments,” he added with a laugh. “It feels good. It's good to get out of those tough jam situations, especially when it's 0-0 at that point.”

Overall, Steele ended with five strikeouts in an 82-pitch showing over four innings. The left-hander walked three and scattered five hits (India's blast was the lone breakthrough). Steele topped out at 96.6 mph and generated 13 swinging strikes, leaning on a slider that escaped him in his start against Milwaukee.

2. Alzolay on the mend
Alzolay and Steele came up through the farm system together and have dreamed of the day they would work in the Cubs' rotation together. A recent trip to the injured list for Alzolay (left hamstring) put that on hold.

Alzolay, who sustained the injury in his start on Friday in Miami, was active during Monday's pregame warmup. The pitcher played catch and was moving around well in his bid to return as soon as possible for Chicago.

"He feels good," Ross said. "He's going to work his way back, and the trainers are on top of that. He's just moving around. It doesn't seem like it was anything very serious."

Alzolay, 26, has logged a 5.16 ERA in 21 turns this season, piling up 107 strikeouts against 32 walks in 106 1/3 innings. Prior to the injury, he looked to be making progress with a changeup to help counter lefties (.975 OPS vs. them this year).

While a prolonged break or premature end to Alzolay's season could be positive in the name of inning preservation, it would do nothing to continue his learning process. Ross said the goal is to get the starter back as soon as he is deemed healthy.

"The goal is to get as much experience as you can," Ross said. "Especially because I think Adbert is growing and is definitely a big part of this group. ... We've got to continue to work towards consistency."

3. Thompson: Coming soon?
Thompson is currently working out of the rotation for Triple-A Iowa, going through a similar build-up program as Steele prior to the lefty's promotion.

On Sunday, Thompson spun 4 1/3 no-hit frames with seven strikeouts and no walks for Iowa. He was named one of the Triple-A players of the week, and he now has 14 2/3 scoreless innings through four starts back with the affiliate.

"Keegan's proven he can pitch at the big league level," Ross said. "Now, it's about sustaining that over the course of four, five, six innings, right?"

Ross said the goal for Thompson -- who posted a 2.21 ERA in 27 games for the Cubs earlier this season -- would be to get to around 75 pitches before returning to the big leagues. The righty built up to 61 in his last outing.

"There's a lot of moving parts," Ross said. "But it won't be long, I'm sure, until he's definitely in the conversation to come up here and pitch."