The Cubs embark on one of the longest road trips of the season to close out August with three stops on the East Coast in Miami, Pittsburgh and Washington D.C.
In total, it will be 10 days and 9 games with an off-day next Thursday between Pittsburgh and D.C.
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It will be a big trip for the Cubs as they continue a stretch of playing teams below .500. They will need to rattle off quite a few wins on the road to remain in contention for the final NL Wild-Card spot as the calendar flips to September.
Pitching probables
Miami
Friday: RHP Kyle Hendricks vs. RHP Max Meyer
Saturday: LHP Shota Imanaga vs. RHP Valente Bellozo
Sunday: RHP Javier Assad vs. RHP Adam Oller
Hendricks should be well rested. With all the off-days on the Cubs’ schedule over the last couple of weeks, it has afforded the team the luxury of tinkering with their rotation.
And that has meant skipping Hendricks’ turn or pushing it back. With Justin Steele forced out of last Saturday’s game early due to a pair of rain delays, the Cubs brought him back to pitch on Thursday on short rest and moved Hendricks’ start back to Friday.
As such, Hendricks has appeared in just 2 games in August in which he’s put up a 2.45 ERA in 11 innings.
Imanaga continues his strong rookie campaign while Assad is coming off his strongest start since mid-May (1 ER in 5.2 IP vs. Detroit on Tuesday).
Pittsburgh
Monday: RHP Jameson Taillon vs. RHP Mitch Keller
Tuesday: LHP Justin Steele vs. RHP Jared Jones
Wednesday: RHP Kyle Hendricks vs. RHP Paul Skenes
This is quite the juggernaut for the Cubs offense if the Pirates’ pitching probables remain the same, as all 3 right-handers possess very good stuff.
The question becomes whether the Pirates – who continue to fall out of the playoff race – will end up limiting the workload of Skenes or Jones as the two young right-handers are a big part of their future.
The Pirates have already been utilizing a 6-man rotation before Jones comes off the IL, so plans could certainly change. Jones has missed the last couple of months with a lat injury, so he will also likely be on a pitch count when he makes his return.
Washington D.C.
Friday: LHP Shota Imanaga vs. RHP Jake Irvin
Saturday: RHP Javier Assad vs. LHP D.J. Herz
Sunday: RHP Jameson Taillon vs. LHP Mitchell Parker
Herz is the interesting name here as a former Cubs prospect. He was an 8th-round pick by the Cubs back in 2019 and ascended up the farm system before the team traded him to the Nationals as part of the Jeimer Candelario deal last summer.
Herz, 23, has made 13 starts for the Nationals this season with a 2-6 record, 4.15 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. He misses a lot of bats (11.1 K/9) but has also allowed 10 homers in 60.2 innings.
Quote of the Week
“Probably every day, to be honest. I got a tattoo of the trophy. So that’s always going to be special. I still got the ring. I always try to take it everywhere so nobody steals it. But it’s always there, always on my mind. I always try and remember that year. The way we played, it was like we weren’t afraid of anyone, especially the other team.” — Javy Báez on how often he thinks about the 2016 Cubs. Báez made his return to Wrigley Field this week for the first time since he was traded away in 2021.
Storylines to keep an eye on
—The Cubs begin the road trip 5.5 games out of the final playoff spot in the National League and a 2.9% chance of making the postseason. They are 2 games below .500 (63-65) with 34 games to play. It will be a difficult road but a strong road trip against 3 rebuilding teams could change those fates.
