Matthew

Boyd

Boyd issued a walk and hit a batter to start the first inning. A run would come in to score on a groundout before Joshua Báez took Boyd deep for a two-run blast. After two scoreless innings, Báez got to Boyd once again with a solo shot in the fourth. Pitching in the sixth, Boyd surrendered the third homer of the game for Báez in the rookie’s debut. A solo homer by Blaze Jordan would knock him from the game, ending his day with a 4.02 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and a 68/26 K/BB ratio across 85 pitches. He’ll look to bounce back against the Mariners in Seattle on Friday.

Boyd only struck out three, continuing a recent theme of strong results despite few Ks. The veteran lefty had a 31 percent strikeout rate with a 6.00 ERA before suffering an early-season injury, and his strikeout rate has been cut in half since he returned. However, he’s been much more effective at preventing runs during this stretch, throwing fewer four-seamers in favor of more breaking pitches. Pitching in front of a genuinely elite defense helps, too. He’ll aim to keep rolling next time out, at home against the Cardinals.

Boyd’s outing got off to an inauspicious start as Tommy Edman connected for a three-run homer in the opening frame to put him behind early. Fortunately, Chicago’s offense got in on the action, clobbering four homers of their own to supply him with a touchdown and a field goal worth of run support. He finished with three strikeouts and only issued one walk. He’ll factor into Chicago’s pitching plan against the Royals this weekend.

Boyd and Cardinals’ starter Dustin May traded zeroes in this pitcher’s duel that went to extra innings scoreless. Boyd was the better of the two though with his second straight seven inning start. In fact, he completed at least six innings in all five of his July outings and has put a long trip to the injured list through May and June behind him. His command wasn’t even great in this game, but his trusted changeup got him out of trouble when he needed a boost and he now has a 3.41 ERA through 66 innings on the season. Next up is a two-start week against the Dodgers and Royals.

Boyd was solid in this one, retiring the first six batters he faced to begin his outing. He would escape a jam in the third inning when Ian Happ gunned down Henry Davis at home when Davis attempted to score on a sacrifice fly, and gave up his lone run in the game in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Davis to bring home Marcel Ozuna. Boyd has allowed one earned run or fewer in three of his last four starts and is scheduled to make one more start this month. He’ll next toe the rubber on Wednesday at the Cardinals.

The damage came on Kody Clemens’ solo shot in the second. Boyd allowed only two other hits and struck out four. He’s 4-0 with a 2.57 ERA in five starts since returning from a knee injury last month. He’ll pitch on the road in Pittsburgh next time out.

Boyd allowed three hits, walked two and struck out seven. He’s 2-0 with a 1.72 ERA in three starts since coming off the IL and 4-1 with a 4.31 ERA in eight starts overall this season. He’ll finish off the first half for the Cubs with a start in Cincinnati on Sunday.

Boyd’s start was the second since coming off the injured list, and it wasn’t as effective as the first one where he threw 4 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball against the Mets. The 35-year-old gave up eight hits, and while he didn’t walk anyone, he clearly didn’t fool the San Diego lineup with just two strikeouts in the contest. This is much more in line with how Boyd was pitching before his back and knee ailments, and a far cry from the hurler he was for the majority of 2025. He’ll look to get back on track against the Orioles on Tuesday, assuming there’s no changes to the rotation order.

Boyd didn’t go the necessary five innings to qualify for a win, but he left with the game tied at 0-0, anyway. The 35-year-old made his first start since May 3 due to shoulder and knee trouble, and while there were command issues as seen in four walks and 46-of-76 pitches for landing for strikes, he was able to procure four strikeouts and kept the Mets off the board in one of his best starts of the year. He’s set to face the Padres next week.

The 35-year-old left-hander will make his triumphant return to the Cubs’ rotation on Thursday against the Mets. Boyd had been shelved since May 3 due to knee and shoulder ailments. He returns to an uninspiring 6.00 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and a 31/6 K/BB ratio over 24 innings through his first five starts on the season.