PITTSBURGH -- When Cubs manager David Ross watches Marcus Stroman compete, he sees something in the right-hander that he wishes he had during his playing days.

“My favorite thing about Stro is the confidence he carries, the belief in himself, the mindset he has,” Ross said. “I wish I would have had more of that as a player -- that confidence in myself.”

What’s there not to be confident about if you’re Stroman? He’s on a roll that few other pitchers in baseball are on.

In securing the Cubs’ 4-0 win over the Pirates on Tuesday night at PNC Park, Stroman accomplished a number of feats:

• Lowered his ERA to a National League-leading 2.28
• Became the first starting pitcher this season to tally seven consecutive wins, a feat accomplished only once last season (Justin Verlander June 24-Aug. 4)
• Secured the Cubs’ fourth consecutive series win, which allowed them to move past the Pirates for third place in the NL Central standings

“I’d say he’s probably been the MVP of our group so far, right?” Ross said.

It’s more than that at this point: Stroman has a case to be the most valuable pitcher in MLB.

In an era of power pitching and an emphasis on strikeouts, Stroman has consistently executed his formula for weak contact and easy outs this season.

Facing a team in back-to-back starts can be a challenge since the batters have a fresh memory of how a pitcher’s stuff played. Not for Stroman, who added an extra inning by going seven his second time around vs. the Pirates and yielding two fewer runs.

In fact, Stroman said he knows opposing teams understand his game plan -- pound the sinker, then adjust -- but he pays no thought to tailoring that plan based on batters.

“I don’t even look at lineups, to be honest with you. I’m someone who pitches straight off confidence,” Stroman said. “I throw my sinker inside to everybody and expand from there.

“I’m not someone who over analyzes lineups. … The last thing I want to do is be negative in any at-bat, in any moment. I don’t ever want to think that any batter that I’m facing is better than I [am]. So I just attack.”

One of the ways Stroman can block out the noise of the numbers and zero in on simply attacking is the trust he’s commanded with catcher Tucker Barnhart, who said Stroman never shakes off a pitch he calls.

“It allows me to be creative. It allows me to see the game and play the game like I’m in high school,” said Barnhart, who slugged his first homer of the season in the third inning.

“In terms of pitch calling, it’s kind of like playing a video game. It’s been awesome.”

The dominant outings Stroman has put up have also made life easier for his skipper.

“The expectation of his performance allows me to use the bullpen a certain way the day before. Sometimes it resets the guys for the day after,” Ross said before the game. “Yeah, you feel like it’s win day, right? Just trying to go for it sometimes before, in certain areas, and winning the night before just feels like it catapults you into a really good chance to win his day.”

If, as is often said, a smile is infectious, can confidence be contagious, too?

On June 8, the Cubs sat 10 games below .500 and 6 1/2 games behind the Pirates. Since then, Chicago (35-38) has won nine of 11 games to inch to three games below .500.

But these peaks and valleys of a season can be fickle, making it even more important to have a guy in the clubhouse to motivate you and get you going.

Stroman, by his personality and his play, could be that guy for the Cubs. Ross said he wishes more players had the unrelenting mentality of Stroman, where “even when the world is coming down on you, you still believe in yourself.”

“I think his personality is infectious,” Barnhart said. “On the field, off the field, he’s a good teammate. He’s just one of those guys you’ll take your chances against any lineup that’s out there.”

And even if Stroman is clearly in a position to comfortably pack his bag for the All-Star Game on July 11 at T-Mobile Park, as things stand given his results, he’s not focused on that or any other accolades.

“To be honest with you, I haven’t had time to reflect at all [on my success], even through my entire career,” Stroman said. “It’s been a sprint, and I’ve been doing everything to manage my body, my mind, each and every day.”