Latest Matthew Boyd gem highlights Cubs’ arms in thick of playoff race: ‘Pitching is what drives things’
KANSAS CITY – Seven innings is getting to be the norm for Matthew Boyd.
The Cubs’ front office got aggressive at the trade deadline and added two starters to the top of the rotation. But Boyd, the 2025 All-Star lefty, is showing they might have already had an ace, the type of pitcher they can be confident giving the ball for Game 1 of a playoff series.
Boyd’s latest gem was seven innings of two-run ball in the Cubs’ 10-2 drubbing of the Royals on Sunday, another strong performance in a string of them since returning from the injured list in late June. He’s gone seven innings in three of his last four starts, pitching into the seventh in five of his last six.
Since getting back on the mound after a nearly two-month layoff with a knee injury, he’s got a 2.43 ERA in nine starts.
“He’s just been pitching so well since he’s come off the injured list and really been a big boost to what we’ve done in the starting rotation,” manager Craig Counsell said.
Even though Boyd has looked like an ace, he’s been just one part of a collective starting effort that’s been among the best in baseball for some time. Coming into Sunday, the Cubs had a 3.31 starters ERA that was best in the National League and third best in the sport since June 11.
With a challenging stretch of 17 games in 17 days behind them, the Cubs can look back on their rotation as driving the bus to a 12-5 record, posting a 2.90 ERA since July 24.
With Boyd and fellow lefties Shota Imanaga and David Peterson joining forces with trade-deadline additions Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes, the Cubs can be excited about what awaits the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs.
“There’s a lot of really good arms, a lot of experience,” Holmes said Sunday. “Combine that, we can all make each other better and keep elevating each other.
“At this time of the year and in the playoffs, pitching is what drives things. For us all to be at our best in this part of the year would be a fun thing to be a part of because of the potential here.”
This weekend in Missouri provided a look at the Cubs’ new-look rotation, with Gausman and Holmes making their debuts against the Royals. Gausman was excellent, going seven innings himself, while Holmes was rusty in his first start since hitting the IL with a fractured fibula in mid May.
While Gausman has already earned rave reviews, Counsell drew comparisons between Holmes’ comeback and the one Boyd made earlier this year. While it might be a lot to expect anyone to do what Boyd’s done, Holmes was stellar before getting hurt, with a 2.39 ERA in nine starts.
“Man, he’s going to be great for us,” Boyd said of Holmes. “Gaus, what he can do with his [pitch] mix, it’s elite. … Seeing him in a Cubbie uniform doing that a few days ago was really awesome.
“I’m grateful that they’re both Cubbies, it only makes us a better team. It’s really fun to pitch alongside them.”
The starting staff is actually even longer, finally looking at some depth after injuries stretched things to their limits earlier this summer.
Righties Colin Rea and Javier Assad have been bumped to relief roles by the arrivals of Gausman and Holmes, growing the group that could power the Cubs from the mound in the thick of a playoff race.
“We’re very talented,” Boyd said. “Not only the five that we have now, but the seven, with C-Rea and Assad, they’re very much a part of this, too, and they’ve got us to where we are. … We really believe in this group, and we’ve been on a good run.”
“We’ve got a lot of depth now, which is good,” Rea said Sunday. “It’s hard to predict what’s going to happen, but I think they got the right pieces in here to set us up for success. We just have a group of guys who have a good idea of what they need to do and how to be successful. … We’re in a good spot.”