The Cubs are heading out on their penultimate road trip of the season – a 3-game stop in Los Angeles followed by a 3-game set in Colorado.

The Dodgers own the best record in the NL (85-57) while the Rockies have the most losses in the league (90).

The Cubs had a stellar performance on their last road trip, going 8-1 and climbing back into the playoff race. But a 2-4 homestand has halted that momentum heading into this trip west.

Pitching probables

Los Angeles

Monday: RHP Kyle Hendricks vs. RHP Walker Buehler

Tuesday: LHP Shota Imanaga vs. RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Wednesday: LHP Jordan Wicks vs. RHP Bobby Miller

This will be the first start for Yamamoto in nearly two months after a shoulder injury.

Tuesday will be an epic showdown between the top two Japanese pitchers signed in the offseason – Imanaga and Yamamoto.

Imanaga has had the larger impact thanks to a healthy run that has seen the 31-year-old go 12-3 with a 2.99 ERA in 26 starts for the Cubs. He contributed heavily (7 innings) to a combined no-hitter last time out.

Yamamoto has been very good when healthy, posting a 6-2 record, 2.92 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 74 innings across 14 starts.

Colorado

Friday: RHP Javier Assad vs. LHP Kyle Freeland

Saturday: RHP Jameson Taillon vs. RHP Antonio Senzatela

Sunday: RHP Kyle Hendricks vs. RHP Bradley Blalock

With the injury to Justin Steele, Hendricks has been reinserted into the Cubs’ rotation.

He’ll draw tough matchups on this road trip against a high-powered Dodgers offense as well as a start at Coors Field.

The Rockies are among the worst teams in baseball and have already been eliminated from playoff contention. Their 5.44 ERA is far and away the highest mark in baseball.

Quote of the week

“He’s exceeded our expectations. We thought we were getting a really good starting pitcher. But the year he’s had this year – his record after losses and the length he’s given us. And even just from a makeup and cultural standpoint, he’s been awesome. He’s been a breath of fresh air the whole time.” – Jed Hoyer on Shota Imanaga’s rookie season.

Storylines to keep an eye on

-The Cubs’ playoff hopes are on life support. After going just 2-4 on the homestand, the Cubs are 5 games out of the final NL Wild-Card spot. The Mets and Braves are currently tied for that final playoff spot and both teams have the tiebreaker over the Cubs (head-to-head record) so Craig Counsell’s squad is essentially 6 games back entering the road trip. That leaves the Cubs’ playoff odds at 1.1%, per ESPN, with only 3 weeks remaining.

-Isaac Paredes’ performance is a key storyline to watch down the stretch. He has struggled so far in a Cubs uniform but delivered a clutch hit in Sunday’s win over the Yankees. If he can get back to the player he was last season that received some down-ballot AL MVP votes, the Cubs can feel more confident going into 2025.