The Cubs head out on their second road trip of the 2024 campaign looking to keep the good times rolling.

Craig Counsell’s first homestand as skipper of the Cubs went off without a hitch as his team went 5-1, sweeping the Rockies and then taking 2 of 3 from the powerhouse Dodgers.

This will be their longest and most difficult road trip of the season — 10 days and 9 games all on the West Coast.

The Padres, Mariners and Diamondbacks all have their sights set on the playoffs, so the Cubs are staring down a daunting task over the next week-and-a-half.

Pitching probables

San Diego

Monday: RHP Javier Assad vs. RHP Yu Darvish
Tuesday: TBD vs. RHP Joe Musgrove
Wednesday: RHP Kyle Hendricks vs. RHP Dylan Cease

The Cubs are still navigating through all their rotation options with Justin Steele on the IL.

Last time Steele’s spot in the rotation came up (last Wednesday against the Rockies), the team started Luke Little for an inning and then brought in Ben Brown for 4 innings after.

That could be the same path Counsell and Co. choose for Tuesday in San Diego. Or Drew Smyly could factor into the equation either as a long reliever or a starter.

A lot depends on how Monday goes. If Smyly or Brown are needed for length in the opener against the Padres, it would obviously affect how the pitching plan plays out for Tuesday.

Assad earned a spot in the rotation coming out of spring with the injury to Jameson Taillon. He pitched well in his season debut on the homestand against the Rockies and is looking to bolster his case to be in the rotation full-time.

Hendricks is off to a rough start this year with 10 runs and 17 hits allowed in 7.2 innings. He’ll look to turn things around at Petco Park, where he has strong career numbers (5-2, 2.58 ERA, 0.86 WHIP in 7 starts).

Seattle

Friday: LHP Jordan Wicks vs. RHP Bryce Miller
Saturday: LHP Shota Imanaga vs. RHP Emerson Hancock
Sunday: RHP Javier Assad vs. RHP Luis Castillo

Wicks has gotten out to a solid start to his 2024 campaign after impressing in 7 starts during the pennant run last season. He has 13 strikeouts and a 4.15 ERA in 8.2 innings through his first 2 starts of the campaign.

Imanaga is off to a heck of a debut in his first taste of the big leagues. He has yet to allow a run with 10 shutout innings to open his career. That includes 4 frames against the Dodgers Sunday before a rain delay washed away the rest of his outing.

Castillo has faced the Cubs plenty throughout his career after spending 6 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds. In 17 games against the Cubs, the star right-hander is 7-5 with a 3.64 ERA and 1.30 WHIP.

Arizona

Monday: TBD vs. RHP Merrill Kelly
Tuesday: RHP Kyle Hendricks vs. LHP Tommy Henry
Wednesday: LHP Jordan Wicks vs. RHP Brandon Pfaadt

Much could change over the next week that would affect these projected starters for both sides. But it does appear as if Jordan Montgomery won’t be ready to make his Diamondbacks debut until after the Cubs leave town. He signed with the team as a free agent late in spring.

The Cubs will continue to patch together their rotation. Hayden Wesneski is an option to make a start as well, if the Cubs want to call him up from Triple-A Iowa during the Seattle or Arizona series.

Taillon is on the road to a return after making his first rehab outing with Double-A Tennessee Sunday. The Cubs want him to make multiple rehab appearances in the minors, so he would likely not be available to rejoin the rotation until the next homestand (that begins April 18).

Quote of the Week

“It feels like the Japanese player is starting to make a bigger impact in a series like this in our game. And then you see it and it’s fun to watch. It’s the great players around the world competing on the same field. That’s awesome.” — Craig Counsell on four Japanese players (Imanaga, Seiya Suzuki, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto) appearing in the Cubs-Dodgers series at Wrigley Field over the weekend.

Storylines to keep an eye on

—Speaking of Japanese players, the Cubs are thrilled with what they’ve received out of their duo so far. Imanaga has been lights out, inducing 28 whiffs through his first 10 innings. Suzuki, meanwhile, has been mashing at the plate with 12 RBI and an .871 OPS through the team’s first 9 games.

—The Cubs’ offense has been among the best in the league in the early going. They rank in the Top 10 in most offensive categories, including runs (5th), batting average (7th), on-base percentage (1st), slugging percentage (6th) and OPS (5th).

—The Cubs lineup has been most impressive when it comes to controlling the strike zone. Entering play Monday, they lead the entire league in walk percentage (12.7%) and ranked 5th in strikeout percentage (18.6%). The only NL teams with a better strikeout percentage than the Cubs are the Diamondbacks (17.4%) and Padres (18.6%) so expect to see a lot of balls put in play over those two series on the road trip.