CHICAGO — Even with the end of a franchise-record streak, things are still quite positive when it comes to one of the most promising young Cubs’ pitchers.

Justin Steele surrendered three earned runs for the first time in a start since July 13, ending his streak of 14 games with two or fewer earned runs given up.

That was tied for the longest in Cubs history dating back to 1912 with Jake Arrieta, who had the same amount from July 30, 2015 through April 4, 2016.

But that wasn’t going to dampen the spirits of the pitcher, who delivered another quality outing to help the Cubs prevent a sweep at the hands of the Cardinals.

Steele went six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and three walks in 91 pitches at Wrigley Field on Wednesday evening. Thanks to a strong night by the Cubs’ offense, that was plenty in a 10-4 victory that gets the team to 18-19 on the season.

It’s another positive moment for the left-handed starter who has enjoyed a strong stretch since the second half of the 2022 season. Steele is 6-0 in eight starts this season with an ERA of 1.82, the best of any Cubs’ starters, with 39 strikeouts compared to 14 walks.

His seven quality starts this season are also tied for the most in Major League Baseball. Since July 22 of last season, Steele is 7-1 with a 1.46 ERA with 86 strikeouts compared to 27 walks.

Perhaps the pitcher can start a new streak in his next outing in a week, and so far in 2023, it looks like he’ll have a good chance to do that.