Taj Bradley tied a career-high with 11 strikeouts over seven innings and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied to beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2 on Thursday night.

Featuring a dominant splitter, Bradley (2-4) gave up only two unearned runs and three hits.

The seven innings matched Bradley's most in the majors. He threw 104 pitches, nine more than his previous career high.

After starter Justin Steele pitched six scoreless innings for the Cubs, the Rays scored three times in the seventh off Mark Leiter Jr. (2-4). Pinch-hitter Josh Lowe had an RBI single and pinch-hitter Ben Rortvedt drove in a run on a groundout before Yandy Díaz made it 3-2 with another RBI single.

Chicago used three consecutive bunts to take a 2-0 lead in the fifth.

Patrick Wisdom’s sacrifice moved runners to second and third. One run came home when catcher Alex Jackson was charged with an error for dropping a throw from third baseman Isaac Paredes on Pete Crow-Armstrong's bunt. Yan Gomes then picked up an RBI with a sacrifice bunt.

The Cubs entered with four sacrifice bunts on the season. It was Gomes' fourth in 1,116 games.

Steele allowed three hits, walked one and struck out five. The lefty has a 3.22 ERA but is winless in eight starts since coming back from a strained left hamstring.

The 28-year-old Steele went 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA in 30 starts last season and made the NL All-Star team for the first time.

LHP Jordan Wicks (1-2, 4.44 ERA) will start Friday against St. Louis RHP Kyle Gibson (4-2, 3.76)