MILWAUKEE — A fiery Justin Steele burst into the Chicago Cubs dugout after his fielding gaffes contributed to a two-run third inning, and he began screaming “wake the f−−− up” to no one in particular.

Or maybe it was to everyone in particular. Either way, the wake-up call worked.

Ian Happ’s two-run, eighth inning home run launched the Cubs to a 5-3 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers, giving them a shot at winning the series.

Steele apologized to any kids who were watching and reading lips.

“I kind of wish I had waited or done something different,” Steele said. “Going forward, do a little bit better job controlling my emotions in front of fans and people watching. We won the ballgame, and that was the most important thing.”

Contrary to popular opinion, the Cubs still have a pulse, faint though it is.

Still, it’s just one game that left them at 39-45 and 10 1/2 games behind the Brewers. They have to wake the bleep up again for the next month to avoid a potential sell-off.

Steele didn’t want to talk about the reasons for his all-caps message, which came after he contributed to a botched rundown and dropped a dribbler that was later ruled a hit. Counsell sanitized Steele’s words, saying “essentially he said, ‘Let’s go.’”

Um, sure.

“You go through a stretch like we are, that frustration is real,” Happ said of Steele.

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