This quote from Craig Counsell shows the Cubs aren't waving the white flag just yet

Off to a 4-2 start on the road trip and winners of 9 of 12, the Chicago Cubs are doing everything they can to claw their way back into the wild-card picture. The only problem is the Atlanta Braves have matched them blow-for-blow, with the Cubs gaining only a half-game, entering the weekend 5 games back of the final spot.

Even after a come-from-behind win for the history books to complete a sweep of the Pirates, Fangraphs pegs the Cubs' playoff odds at just 3.9 percent. Baseball Reference has a slightly more optimistic take, at 7.7 percent. Regardless, it's an uphill battle. Craig Counsell knows that - and has every intention of fighting till the very end.

There's no quit in this Chicago Cubs team, despite the longshot odds

When asked about keeping an eye on starting pitcher's workloads down the stretch, here's what he had to say:

We’re not in that mode. Don’t want to be in that mode. Look, we’re going to be chasing. You just want to chase as long as you can and get it to that last week and still have a chance. That means we’re going to go hard.

No Cubs starter has eclipsed 150 innings yet, so there aren't warning bells ringing. Shota Imanaga leads the team at 140 1/3 frames, still well shy of his career-high mark of 170 innings he threw back in 2019 in Japan. Jameson Taillon and Justin Steele come in next, around the 130 innings mark, and Javier Assad has already set a new personal-high heading into September at 120.

Jordan Wicks is reportedly nearing a return, which could give the rotation a shot in the arm, allowing Counsell to move Kyle Hendricks back to the bullpen or get creative with a six-man look. But the message is clear: Counsell is going to keep riding his key starters as the team looks to turn its season around on a dime and somehow punch an unlikely postseason ticket.