Matthew

Boyd

Boyd gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out three in his fourth straight loss. He was 8-1 with a 3.50 ERA on this day a month ago. The Cubs have lost all six of his starts since, with Boyd giving up 22 earned runs over 35 innings. He’ll face the Reds next time out.

Boyd hadn’t pitched into the eighth this season, but the Cubs thought he could do it after seven innings of one-run ball today. And then he walked Garrett Mitchell and gave up a double to Joey Ortiz. Ryan Zejerjahn took over at that point and allowed both runners to score before also giving up a run of his own, putting the Cubs in a 4-2 hole. It leaves Boyd 0-3 over his last five starts, though the most recent three have been quite solid (3.44 ERA). He’ll likely face the Pirates on Sunday.

Boyd allowed one run through five, but he gave up a single and a double in the sixth and both runners came around to score after he was lifted. The result upped Boyd’s ERA to 4.05, but he was perfectly fine. Maybe he’ll get more support Sunday against the Marlins.

Boyd struck out five as he lowered his ERA below 4 with the quality start. His one mistake was an opposite-field solo shot off the bat of Jordan Lawlar in the sixth. Homers have been an issue lately, as he’ll finish August with nine allowed. Limiting the long ball was one of the keys to his 3.21 ERA last season. He’ll draw a tough matchup against the Brewers next time out.

After getting three runs to work with in the first, Boyd surrendered four runs in the second, with Cal Raleigh’s three-run homer serving as the big blow. His ERA has jumped from 3.50 to 4.15 while he’s given up 11 runs in his last two starts. Still, his stuff is fine, and he remains a solid choice in mixed leagues. He’s due to face the Diamondbacks next week.

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.