CHICAGO — As the 2023 season has gone along, the Cubs’ top starting pitcher has continued to make his case for the highest honor a pitcher can receive in Major League Baseball.

Justin Steele had one of his best arguments on Tuesday, coming up big once again for his team in the midst of a postseason push.

The Cubs’ All-Star starter was on his game during his outing against the red-hot Brewers at Wrigley Field, throwing six shutout innings in 1-0 victory that stops Milwaukee’s nine-game winning streak.

It helps keep Steele’s team in sight of the top of the National League Central division, as the Brewers lead was trimmed to four with the Cubs’ victory. That win also kept the team in the second Wild Card spot, a game ahead of the Giants with 30 games to go.

Steele had to work for the six shutout innings, throwing 111 pitches in that time, but he more than did his job. He scattered six hits during the six shutout innings, striking out eight batters while giving up just one walk.

After Steele left the game, the bullpen finished it out with three more clean innings to preserve the victory, with the lone run coming on a ground out by Cody Bellinger in the first inning.

With the effort, Steele is now tied for the major league lead with 15 wins with just three losses across 25 starts. His 2.69 ERA is second in the MLB as well as he has 141 strikeouts compared to 31 walks in 144 innings.

His outstanding season has put him among the names for the NL Cy Young Award with a month to play in the season. Braves starter Spencer Strider (15-4, 3.46 ERA, MLB-high 236 strikeouts), Padres starter Blake Snell (MLB-low 2.60 ERA, 193 strikeouts), and Diamondbacks’ starter Zac Gallen (14-6, 3.32 ERA, 182 strikeouts) figure to be top candidates for the award as well.

The Cubs’ top pitcher is making his case for that award, too, adding another resume-building performance on Tuesday.