Cubs Ace Shows Dominance in 'Playoff Atmosphere'

It's been all about the offense for the Chicago Cubs during their run into the NL Wild Card picture. The lineup is hitting from top to bottom and have used their offensive dominance to push them into the 2023 postseason picture with a month to play.

The pitching staff has had questions marks surrounding them during this run with injuries and poor performances lurking underneath the optimism of their winning record.

That wasn't the case on Tuesday night. It was their ace who showed up in a big way to take a game off the division rival Milwaukee Brewers.

Justin Steele has taken over as the ace of the Cubs. Entering Tuesday, he had a record of 14-3 with a 2.89 ERA and was facing off against Corbin Burnes, one of the premiere pitchers in the league.

Chicago's ace delivered in one of the biggest games of the season.

Steele threw six shutout innings with eight strikeouts on a career-high 111 pitches thrown in their 1-0 victory over the Brewers. The lone run came in the first inning, which was all their ace needed to earn his 15th win of the season.

Manager David Ross said after the win, "That felt like a playoff game. That’s good for us, right?"

If the Cubs get pitching performances like that from the left hander when the playoffs roll around, it will certainly be a good thing for them.

"I loved it. I love pitching in that environment. The fans here do a really special job of knowing the situation, knowing what’s at stake, knowing when to get on their feet. I mean, I think there was a moment in the first inning they were on their feet, because they knew a big pitch was coming," Steele told Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.

Having a pitcher with that type of mentality and game to back it up could allow them to win a playoff series on the road when the calendar turns to October.