Cubs manager David Ross confirmed that Justin Steele will come off the injured list Saturday and start against the Orioles.
“Justin’s worked really hard in his down time,” Ross said. “It’s nice that some of the red flags that we were concerned about turned out to be not much at all.”
Steele, 27, last started May 31 against the Rays and went on the IL a day later with a left forearm strain. On Friday, Steele threw a bullpen that went well, apparently clearing the last hurdle to returning to the Cubs rotation.
That Steele only missed two weeks is good news for the Cubs’ short-term and long-term outlooks. Before going on the IL, Steele was blossoming into one of the best pitchers in the National League, compiling a 2.65 ERA and 1.06 WHIP and showing signs he could be an anchor of the Cubs rotation.
“He feels really good, and he’s a key piece to us winning ball games, our future, our success,” Ross said. “He’s really important to have on the mound. We’re excited for him to be back tomorrow and start for us.”
Familiar terrain
A former Cubs coach, Brandon Hyde made his second trip back to Wrigley Field as manager of the Orioles. Baltimore began the day 43-25, a clear contender in the American League and a young team with a bright future.
The similarities between these Orioles and the promising Cubs of almost a decade ago are easy to spot. Baltimore appears to be at the end of a long rebuild that’s about to pay off as homegrown players blossom into stars, which the Cubs experienced by going to three National League Championship Series and winning the 2016 World Series thanks to assets they developed and supplemented with shrewd moves.
“That’s what it’s all about, is drafting well, signing players around them and having a nice mix in the big leagues,” Hyde said.
Learning by doing
Miguel Amaya once again caught Kyle Hendricks, and that wasn’t a coincidence. Hendricks, who called his own pitches when he flirted with a no-hitter Saturday in San Francisco, is one of the smartest and most cerebral pitchers in baseball and figures to be a strong influence on the young Amaya.
Ross reflected on his experiences as a young catcher, when he worked with Kevin Brown, Hideo Nomo, Darren Dreifort and other veterans, picking up how they managed counts, decided which pitches to shake off and used scouting reports.
“All of those things were really valuable lessons for me that I took and was able to build upon in my career,” Ross said. “I believe Miggy is in that space right now of learning, and also a very talented young man that we’d like in the lineup.”
This and that …
Ross gave Cody Bellinger the day off after returning from the IL on Thursday. Ross said Bellinger would be back in the lineup Saturday.
* Friday was the Cubs’ 22,000th game as a National League club. Entering Friday, the Cubs were 11,192-10,646-152 with nine no-decisions.* Bears third-round pick Zacch Pickens threw out a ceremonial first pitch.
