The final week – and the final road trip – of the season are upon us.

The Cubs will head to Philadelphia for a quick 3-game set against the Phillies, who have already clinched a playoff spot and are on the verge of locking up the NL East.

The Cubs may be eliminated from the playoffs but these final 6 games definitely carry some weight. They sit at 80-76 and ending the year on a hot streak – while finishing above .500 – does matter to this team and this organization, even if only for pride.

“Nothing changes,” Craig Counsell said Sunday. “You just go out and you play the game and you respect the game, and you respect your teammates and that’s it. That’s what you do.”

Pitching probables

Philadelphia

Monday: RHP Nate Pearson vs. RHP Aaron Nola

Tuesday: LHP Justin Steele vs. Taijuan Walker

Wednesday: RHP Javier Assad vs. LHP Cristopher Sanchez

With the playoffs no longer an option, there is little reason for the Cubs to push their starting pitchers.

Pearson has started games in the past but given he is not very stretched out, he will likely serve as a 1- or 2-inning opener while the Cubs roll with a bullpen game.

Justin Steele returned from the IL last Wednesday after dealing with an elbow issue. He is healthy and was motivated to get back to the mound but the Cubs won’t take any chances and will give him an extra day of rest.

When Steele returned, the plan initially was for a 6-man rotation to end the season but then rookie Jordan Wicks landed on the IL with an oblique strain.

This order means Jameson Taillon, Kyle Hendricks and Shota Imanaga will likely line up for the final series of the seson – Friday through Sunday at Wrigley Field.

Which means these starts coming up in Philly are the last time Cubs fans will see Steele and Assad pitch in 2024.

Quote of the week

“Teams shouldn’t want to come in here and play the Cubs. Wrigley shouldn’t be a fun road trip. Chicago shouldn’t be a fun road trip for other teams. They should come in here and say, ‘we’re going to get worked for 3 days or they’re going to give us a heck of an effort.’

“I think as players, that’s something we should strive for. I know a lot of players on other teams love coming to Wrigley and it’s like, I don’t want that. I want people to see Wrigley on their schedule and be like, ‘shoot, I don’t want a part of that.’

“I mean, we’re the Chicago Cubs. We should strive to be a 90-win – at least – organization.” – Jameson Taillon on the 2024 season and where he feels the Cubs should go from here.

Storylines to keep an eye on

-Counsell said Sunday morning there are no plans for the Cubs to call up some of their top young prospects like Owen Caissie or Kevin Alcantara. But things could always change. And with the desire to keep the pressure off the pitching staff, could we see a young arm during the week in Philadelphia?

-It will be very interesting to see how Counsell doles out playing time down the stretch and if the regular starters continue to play daily, how will they finish? This final week is important for individual players to finish strong as well as overall team performance.