The Cubs embark on the final leg of one of the longest road trips of the season to close out August, playing a three-game set against the Nationals.

It completes a 9-game, 10day road trip that opened up in Miami and Pittsburgh before wrapping up in Washington D.C.

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The series against the Nationals provides the Cubs further opportunity to chip away in the NL Wild Card picture — they begin the weekend 5 games back of the Atlanta Braves for the final spot.

Recapping the road trip

The Cubs opened the 9-game slate with a pair of victories against the Marlins, dropping the finale and missing an opportunity to sweep. They traveled to Pittsburgh to take on a scuffling Pirates squad, albeit one that was throwing three of the best starters in baseball — Mitch Keller, Jared Jones and Paul Skenes — and the Cubs passed the test with flying colors.

The Cubs scored 41 runs over the three-game set — each win featuring one incredible storyline after another. In the series opener, the Cubs swiped 8 bases — the first time in over a century they had stolen that many bags in a game. In the second game of the series, Dansby Swanson homered to spark the Cubs offense — then dedicated the moment to his mom who was in the front row for her birthday.

The finale of the three-game set, though, might have been the most exciting. The Cubs raced out to an early 3-1 lead on rookie phenom Paul Skenes before falling behind 10-3 entering the 7th inning. The Cubs then mounted a comeback for the ages, led by backup catcher Christian Bethancourt’s 7-RBI game to sweep the Pirates.

[MORE: A heckler gave Cubs catcher Christian Bethancourt extra motivation during epic rally]

Pitching probables

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 last week for the first time since he was traded away in 2021.

Storylines to keep an eye on

—The Cubs 5-2 start to the road trip has seen them jump 2 games over .500 (68-66) and sit 5 games back of Atlanta in the NL Wild Card picture. FanGraphs gives the Cubs a 3.8% chance of making the playoffs.