Matthew Boyd’s 1st opening-day start with Chicago Cubs ends early in 10-4 loss to Washington Nationals
CHICAGO — Two hours before throwing the first pitch of the Chicago Cubs season, Matthew Boyd found a spot along the dugout railing at Wrigley Field. For 10 minutes, Boyd took in the scene as the flags whipped above the center-field scoreboard, Cubs infielders took grounders and stadium workers finished final preparations before 39,712 fans streamed into the ballpark. It’s not uncommon for Boyd to make the trek from the clubhouse to the dugout on his start day for solitary reflection and embracing the environment.
Getting his first opening-day start with the Cubs made Thursday’s pregame journey to the home bullpen under the left-field bleachers extra special. Despite the cool, windy elements, the Wrigley vibes set the stage for what is expected to be another playoff season for the Cubs. “I think last year was really good for them,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Thursday.
“They had a great season, but it ended in a bitter way and they spent the whole winter thinking about it and talking about it. And sometimes that’s the best catalyst for a good season is the disappointment of the year before at the end but also the confidence that the season gave them. So I think that combination is really powerful, and I can kind of feel that with this group.
” For three innings against the Washington Nationals, Boyd pitched like the veteran who earned his All-Star honor a year ago. He struck out seven of the first 10 batters he faced through three innings — then the game got away from Boyd. The Nationals tagged him for five runs in the fourth, and the Cubs’ lack of timely hits off starter Cade Cavalli and the Nationals bullpen doomed them in a 10-4 loss.
Through three innings, Boyd produced 16 whiffs, tying the most he had in any start last season. But he lost command of his four-seam fastball in the troublesome fourth, struggling to stay behind the baseball, which led to too many over the middle of the plate for the Nationals to do damage against. “Honestly, I just needed to make an adjustment faster and I wasn’t able to,” Boyd said.