No matter what way you looked at it, this road trip appeared to be a daunting task for the Cubs.

It was their longest road trip of the season — 10 days and 9 games. What’s more, all 3 series came against teams that have eyes on the postseason this year (Padres, Mariners, Diamondbacks).

And any trip to the West Coast is generally a tough ask for MLB teams due to the time change and long travel.

The Cubs also discovered right before the road trip that they would be without one of their most valuable relievers as Julian Merryweather hit the IL on the final day of the last homestand.

The injury woes continued partway through the road trip as one of the team’s key hitters — Seiya Suzuki — also landed on the shelf before this week’s series in Arizona. And that’s with ace Justin Steele already on the IL for the entire month of April.

As if that wasn’t enough, throughout the road trip, the Cubs had a pair of really difficult losses — including blowing an 8-run lead in San Diego as well as Tuesday night’s heart-breaker in Arizona.

All that said, it’s no small feat that the Cubs somehow finished the road trip with a winning record (5-4).

It’s the type of road trip that could serve as a galvanizing force for the Cubs moving forward this season.

The Cubs certainly have some issues to work through in both the short- and long-term. They will be without Merryweather until at least June (he was added to the 60-day IL Wednesday) and without Suzuki until likely mid-May.

Kyle Hendricks’ struggles are absolutely a concern moving forward and the Cubs’ bullpen has been heavily taxed and endured struggles of their own on the road trip.

But as the Cubs get set to return home for a stretch, there are quite a few encouraging signs for this team.

The rotation

The injuries have been difficult to deal with in the early going, but reinforcements are on the way for the rotation. Veteran starter Jameson Taillon is set to return from the IL Thursday and start the first game of the homestand against the Marlins.

For a team that badly needs length and stability out of their rotation, Taillon is a welcome addition, especially if he can pick up where he left off in the second half of last season (3.38 ERA over his final 16 outings).

There were many questions entering the season about how Shota Imanaga would adjust to the majors but he’s been a revelation so far and the next earned run he gives up will be his first.

Meanwhile, Javier Assad continues to thrive under the radar, as he is 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA and 0.96 WHIP this season. He had 2 strong starts on the road trip, including during Sunday’s win in Seattle.

Rookie Ben Brown turned in his best outing in the big leagues in the rotation his last time out (6 IP, 1 H, 1 ER) and seems to be finding his form.

As for Hendricks, the early results certainly have not been ideal (12.71 ERA, 2.24 WHIP). But there is actually reason to believe a turnaround is coming.

Over his career, Hendricks has struggled in March and April. Those struggles are more pronounced this season but in total, here are his numbers separated by the calendar:

March/April: 5.58 ERA
May: 2.96
June: 3.92
July: 2.89
August: 3.70
Sept/Oct: 3.03

So in the first month of the season, Hendricks has a 5.58 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. From May 1 on, he boasts a career 3.29 ERA and 1.12 WHIP.

The opposition is hitting .284 with an .831 OPS off Hendricks in his career during March/April. But he has limited opposing batters to a .702 OPS or lower in every other month throughout the year.

Want more stats?

The batting average on balls in play (BABIP) against Hendricks this season is a whopping .387. That’s 90 points above the league average (.297) and over a 100 points higher than Hendricks’ career mark (.286).

He is struggling to execute right now, but there is also a certain amount of bad luck at play.

Hendricks is currently slated to start the Cubs’ series finale against the Marlins on Sunday at Wrigley Field.

Morel’s defense

After some hiccups to begin the year defensively, Christopher Morel sure seems to be settling in at third base.

He made quite a few key plays throughout the road trip, including a highlight-reel effort during Wednesday’s win in Arizona:

Christopher Morel is putting on a clinic at third 🔥 pic.twitter.com/anmCyONJo0

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 17, 2024

He also made a heck of a diving play Saturday to help his team win a close game against the Mariners:

Christopher Morel flashes the leather at the hot corner 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xEOfl9x1e9

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 14, 2024

That will be clutch moving forward as it allows Craig Counsell to utilize the DH spot freely, either to give players partial days off or to play matchups and add another quality bat into the lineup.

Busch lights it up

Michael Busch had a heck of a road trip, tying a franchise record with a homer in 5 straight games.

In total, he hit .333/.421/.818 (1.239 OPS) with 5 homers and 8 RBI throughout the West Coast trip.

[WATCH: Joe Girardi and Lance Brozdowski break down Busch’s hot stretch]

The rookie has been a huge addition to the lineup so far this season, adding a consistent approach and some pop for a team that spent the winter searching for more left-handed bats.

Offensive awakening

Several of the Cubs’ top hitters have struggled to settle into a groove this season. But many of those players ended on a high note, including:

Nico Hoerner — 6 hits, 4 runs in Arizona series
Cody Bellinger — triple/RBI Tuesday, homer Wednesday
Ian Happ — grand slam, double, 3 runs Tuesday

If that trio starts heating up, it will go a long way for a lineup that is going to be without Suzuki for the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, young catcher Miguel Amaya is off to a solid start at the plate — .281/.314/.469 (.783 OPS) — as he could be in the early stages of a breakout campaign during his second season in the majors.

The schedule

After a really difficult stretch to open the year, the Cubs now have a bit of a reprieve on their schedule over the next couple weeks.

First up on the homestand, the Cubs will play host to the Marlins for a 4-game series. Only one team in baseball (the White Sox) currently has a worse record than the Marlins.

Then it’s the Astros, who are off to a shocking 6-14 start. The Red Sox and Mets follow — two teams hovering around .500 at the moment but were not expected to contend this season.

Things will turn daunting again in May but for now, the schedule gods appear to be working in the Cubs’ favor.