Matthew

Boyd

Boyd, who is preparing to pitch in the WBC, had some interesting stuff going on today, as his fastball velocity was down a little from last year but all of his secondary pitches were up by 1.5-2.5 mph. So, instead of last year’s 11-mph difference between his fastball and slider, it was nine today. His changeup difference was down from 14.5 mph to 11.5 mph. Still, best not to ready too much into one outing in February.

This probably doesn’t thrill the Cubs, given Boyd’s injury history, but since he did put in a full season last year, there’s nothing the team can do about it. Boyd went 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA and made his first All-Star team in his first season in Chicago.

It was a remarkable bounce-back performance from Boyd, who managed to work into the fifth inning of a do-or-die affair for the Cubs after allowing just two runs in the opening contest of the best-of-five series. The 34-year-old veteran southpaw struck out six and allowed just two hits and three walks in this one as he and four relievers — Daniel Palencia, Drew Pomeranz, Brad Keller and Caleb Thielbar — combined on a three-hit shutout at Wrigley Field to keep Chicago’s postseason hopes alive.

There was never really much doubt. Boyd will be on four days’ rest after throwing 30 pitches and getting pulled in the first against the Brewers on short rest in Game 1. He’ll be opposed by Freddy Peralta, so it’s a rematch of the Brewers’ Game 1 victory.

Boyd gave up three straight doubles to begin the game, but he should have been out of the first having allowed only two runs if not for a Nico Hoerner error on what looked like a routine play. Boyd was removed after Blake Perkins made a 4-1 game with a single on the 11th pitch of his at-bat. On the plus side, that Boyd threw only 30 pitches should make it easy for him to come back on four days’ rest in Game 4.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell confirmed that Boyd will take the ball on short rest to kick off the series after throwing 58 pitches over 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday against the Padres. He also warmed up in the bullpen during the ninth inning of Game 3 on Thursday, which could be treated as his usual side session. Either way, it would be surprising to see him work much deeper than he did on Tuesday when battling the Brewers on Saturday. The 34-year-old southpaw held a 7.84 ERA, 1.94 WHIP and a 5/8 K/BB ratio over 10 1/3 innings in two starts against the Brewers during the regular season. He’ll be going up against Brewers ace Freddy Peralta.

Boyd dealt with plenty of traffic on the basepaths but managed to escape without any significant damage before turning things over to Chicago’s bullpen. He got some major help from shortstop Dansby Swanson, who made a pair of stellar run-saving catches to prevent a couple runs from crossing the plate. The 34-year-old veteran southpaw was lifted after giving up a one-out single in the fifth inning, throwing just 58 pitches (43 strikes) in the abbreviated outing. He finished with two strikeouts and only handed out one free pass.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell made it official that Boyd will take the ball for Tuesday’s series opener at Wrigley Field. It’ll likely be some combination of Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon to close out the three-game series with star rookie Cade Horton out with a rib injury until at least the late stages of a potential Division Series matchup.

Boyd closed his regular season with a much needed strong start. He kept the Mets’ right-handed hitters off balance all night with changeups in the strike zone when they seemed to be least expecting them. It results in tons of weak contact and very few dangerous balls put in play. Manager Craig Counsell still had a quick hook on Boyd though, pulling him with just 86 pitches and an 8-2 lead in the sixth inning as Pete Alonso came to the plate. Nevertheless, Boyd will end his excellent season with a 15-8 record and 3.21 ERA over 179 2/3 innings.

Boyd was given a 4-0 lead in the first inning, but it didn’t last long. He gave up a three-run in the bottom half of that first frame, and then walked in a run an inning later. It’s another mediocre effort from Boyd, who has allowed at least four runs in five of his last six starts. He’ll get the start Tuesday against the Mets in what could be his season finale; depending on how Chicago sets things up for their postseason run.