MESA, Ariz. \u2014 After having to skip his previous Cactus League start because of illness, Cubs left-hander Justin Steele cleared the last hurdle he needed to Tuesday before boarding the plane to Tokyo.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Felt good, felt normal,\u2019\u2019 Steele said after pitching 3\u2154 innings against the Brewers. \u2018\u2018Didn\u2019t really think too much of it as I was preparing today. Didn\u2019t really even notice that I was skipping a start or anything like that. Body felt good. Felt good throughout the outing today. Got the pitch count up, was able to get some up-downs in there. Get that settled before we go to Tokyo and into the regular season.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
All those checkpoints were far more important than the line score. Steele allowed seven runs \u2014 five of which came in the first inning \u2014 and 10 hits.<\/p>\n
His next start is scheduled for the second game of the Tokyo Series opposite Dodgers rookie Roki Sasaki, who will be making his major-league debut.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018It\u2019s going to be electric the entire time,\u2019\u2019 Steele said. \u2018\u2018Just watching videos of how their fans really get into the games and stuff like that, it\u2019s going to be a ton of energy in the building. The players that both teams are bringing, it\u2019s gonna be really exciting. I\u2019m just excited to get there and engulf myself in how everything\u2019s done over there.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
As the Cubs set their travel roster for the Tokyo Series, the pitching picture was the most interesting aspect. They need only two starters for the regular-season games, but they still have to cover four games\u2019 worth of innings, including two exhibitions.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018You want quality, and you\u2019ve got to think about backup plans,\u2019\u2019 manager Craig Counsell said. \u2018\u2018There\u2019s scenarios that could play out, as unlikely as they are. The fact that you can\u2019t go get a player for the second game is relevant. And that we\u2019re limited on what we\u2019re going to expose pitchers to is relevant.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where pitchers such as Jordan Wicks and Ben Brown, who have built up as starters, are especially valuable. Both made the travel roster.<\/p>\n
Because of the early start to the season, starters aren\u2019t expected to go deep into games. Left-hander Shota Imanaga, who is set to start the opener, built up to 75 pitches in his last Cactus League start. Steele estimated he threw 60 to 65 pitches Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The Cubs are planning on a bullpen game for their first exhibition. That will give their relievers extra rest before Opening Day. Right-hander Jameson Taillon is set to start the second exhibition, Counsell said.<\/p>\n
To combat the Brewers\u2019 five-run first inning, the Cubs put together a four-run rally in the bottom of the inning. Ian Happ<\/b> and Kyle Tucker<\/b> walked to put runners on first and second. Happ scored on a wild pitch, and Tucker advanced to third with Michael Busch<\/b> up. Busch hit an RBI single before Matt Shaw<\/b> drove him in with a double off the wall. Pete Crow-Armstrong<\/b> got in on the fun with an RBI single.<\/p>\n
\u2022 It was a big day for getting relievers some work. Five of the six relievers the Cubs used are on their travel roster for the Tokyo Series.<\/p>\n
\u2022 All eight of the Cubs\u2019 hits came from different players.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Cubs need only two starters for the regular-season games, but they still have to cover four games’ worth of innings, including two exhibitions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":40703,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n