CHICAGO — When Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell watched Matthew Boyd regularly pumping fastballs in the mid-90s during an exhibition game in Japan, he wasn’t surprised.
“It’s kind of what we expected. We’re paying him $15 million,” he quipped.
Yes, Boyd is being paid well, but for a pitcher with his capability, it’s actually quite low. That, as Counsell pointed out, is because of his injury history. Entering 2025, the lefty had tossed just 202 2/3 innings over the previous four seasons combined. But when he’s healthy, which he finally was last year, he’s been strong.
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“We think Matt’s through some injury things and can be a stabilizing force,” Counsell said. “A guy that takes the ball a lot for us and pitches effectively. When he’s pitched, he’s been really effective. We hope he’s set up for a season to be healthy and that degree of effectiveness.”
On Saturday, after six shutout innings against the San Diego Padres in a 7-1 win, Boyd now has made two starts and tossed 11 scoreless frames. He’s struck out 10 and walked four and has generally been what Counsell hoped for — a stabilizing force. Saturday’s win marked Chicago’s fifth straight victory, pushing the Cubs to 7-4 on the season.
“Matt’s been awesome,” Counsell said. “He’s pitched wonderfully. Kind of controlled aggressiveness from hitters and they always feel a little off balance with the different speeds of the pitches. It’s a lot to defend for a hitter and he’s doing a nice job with it.”
In a rotation where arms like Justin Steele, Ben Brown and Shota Imanaga can thrive leaning on mostly just two pitches, Boyd comes at hitters with a five-pitch mix that keeps them guessing. In Saturday’s start, Boyd largely used a four-seamer that was touching 95 mph, a changeup that garnered five of his eight whiffs and his slider. That combo worked wonders against a strong Padres lineup.
“He kept them off balance,” catcher Carson Kelly said. “A lot of different pitches in a lot of different counts. He can throw pretty much anything in any count. That’s what really separates him. Really impressive outing.”
Boyd was backed up by an offense that’s been one baseball’s most potent early in the season. With 70 runs in 11 games, the bats have quickly shaken off a slow start in Japan and are also proving to be one of the more patient groups in baseball. Prior to Saturday’s evening slate, the Cubs led all of baseball with a 12.7 percent walk rate.
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Those types of grinding at-bats wear on pitchers and either force them to put traffic on the bases or challenge hitters.
“It’s hard when you have a patient lineup,” Boyd said of facing teams like the Cubs. “Sometimes, it makes you have to counter. There’s also a fair amount of pop in the lineup where you can’t just pour it over because you know that someone could jump you. I think we have a great lineup.”
Carson Kelly goes yard! pic.twitter.com/j9P0TzE3KE
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 5, 2025
The Cubs aren’t quite the New York Yankees, but they do have 16 homers on the season and are a top 10 team in isolated power (ISO). If they can continue to pair that with their high walk rate, it’s going to be a brilliant season offensively. Add in their strong baserunning and the fact that they’re only striking out 20.7 percent of the time, and it’s easy to see why this team is clicking early on offense.
The Cubs had men on base in every inning and from innings two through six, they had at least two reach. They scored in the second, third and fourth, but the big blow came in the sixth when Kelly slugged a three-run shot to put the game out of reach at 7-0.
“That’s what you do,” Counsell said. “You try to keep putting pressure on them. Keep making them make pitches with men in scoring position. We got one eventually. Just good, tough at-bats all day.”
In two games at Wrigley, the Cubs have looked like a complete offense. They’ve scored with the big homer — something they consistently did in Sacramento — and won with savvy baserunning, like they pulled off in Arizona. With outings like they’ve gotten from Imanaga and Boyd, the team is brimming with confidence and giving fans an early reason to be optimistic.
It’s a long season, and last year’s squad showed that a hot start can quickly become irrelevant. But in an April schedule packed with the NL’s best, the Cubs are showing that they may be up for the challenge.
(Top photo: Matt Marton / Imagn Images)
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