Chicago Cubs’ game four starter inspires dread and optimism

Despite the realities of the situation, many will rightfully wince at the idea of hinging the entire season on a Matthew Boyd who, on just three days’ rest, looked absolutely flat in a Game One drubbing on Saturday. In that high-stakes outing, he got the hook with just two outs in the first inning after giving up 6 runs on 4 hits and a walk.

But, again, what else can the Cubs do? The “only Boyd” Game Four option reflects the misfortune of injury (Cade Horton, Justin Steele) and the inability/unwillingness of the Cubs front office to acquire another high-end starter over the course of the season.

And now we’re here.

Chicago Cubs have some reason for optimism

Boyd has been an outstanding addition to the Cubs rotation, ending the regular season with a 14-8 record and a 3.21 ERA in 179.2 innings. Late season struggles and his disastrous last postseason start suggest, though, that the previously injury-plagued lefty’s endurance has reached its limit in his first season of full activity since 2019.

The 34-year-old, however, is looking to prove that he still has enough in the tank to get the team another “W.”

“I know what I’m going to do when the ball is in my hand,” Boyd said on Wednesday night, before officially getting the nod for Thursday’s game. “And when that time comes tomorrow, I’ll be ready. I know what I’m going to do. I’m going to go compete and leave it all out there on the field.

“It takes all of us to go where we want to go. I’ll do my role. When that time comes, I’ll be ready to do exactly what I know I can do.”

Boyd’s 2025 excellence at home offers some reason for optimism, even as his overall year record against the Brewers suggests otherwise. At Wrigley Field this season, he is 12-1 with a 2.51 ERA. In Game One of the Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres in Chicago, he pitched 4.1 solid innings, allowing only one earned run.

Boyd wants another crack at the Brewers

The veteran says that he had been itching to get another crack at the Brewers ever since Saturday’s poor outing.

“About five minutes after you come out of that outing,” Boyd said, referring to how long it took for him to want the ball again. “You take what you can do better, and then you go out and prepare for the next one.”

Boyd’s teammates are also eager for him to get his shot at redemption.

“After he had that Game 1 outing,” Jameson Taillon, the Cubs’ Game 3 starter, told media, “I was thinking to myself, ‘If we could find a way to get him the ball again…’ He’s too smart. He’s too disciplined and motivated and sharp to not find a way to have success and go out there and have a big game.”

People will know soon enough whether Boyd is able to keep the Cubs’ hopes alive or if the 2025 wild ride ends tonight.