After three perfect innings, Cubs left-hander Justin Steele left his start against the Rays with what the team called left forearm tightness.
The Cubs lost 4-3 to Tampa Bay.
To open the third inning, Steele induced a groundout to third base from Christian Bethancourt. Then head athletic trainer Nick Frangella and manager David Ross met with Steele on the mound. They talked, and he stayed in the game.
Steele needed just five pitches to get the last two outs of the inning. Third baseman Patrick Wisdom made a diving snag to catch a tailing line drive up the line from Taylor Walls. Then, Wisdom knocked down a sharp ground ball off Jose Siri’s bat for the third out.
Right-hander Hayden Wesneski, who the Cubs recalled from Triple-A on Tuesday, replaced Steele in the fourth inning.
Steele has been one of the Cubs’ two best pitchers this season, along with Marcus Stroman. The lefty shaved his ERA down to 2.65 Wednesday with what was promising to be a dominant start against the best team in baseball. Before Wednesday, he’d pitched into at least the sixth inning in all but one start.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
