MESA, Ariz. -- After watching veteran left-hander Matthew Boyd cruise through the Yomiuri Giants¡¯ lineup in an exhibition game at the Tokyo Dome last week, Cubs manager Craig Counsell had one prevailing thought.
¡°That was how Matt Boyd pitched during the season last year,¡± Counsell said. ¡°That was it.¡±
Granted, Boyd was not facing a Major League offense, but the circumstances and environment created a potential recipe for rust. There was a lengthy flight overseas, disrupting the schedule. There was a massive audience with a raucous crowd cheering on the Giants. Boyd entered in relief, as opposed to his normal starting routine.
Even with those factors offering obstacles, Boyd spun four shutout innings to finish off Chicago¡¯s 4-2 win that night. He racked up six strikeouts and issued zero walks, and the radar gun showed a bit more life on the lefty¡¯s fastball that maybe would be expected at this point on the calendar.
If it was a glimpse into Boyd¡¯s upcoming season, that would be great news for the Cubs.
¡°He¡¯s pretty nasty,¡± Cubs starter Jameson Taillon said. ¡°I think if he¡¯s healthy, he¡¯s an X factor for us this year.¡±
On Sunday afternoon, Boyd closed out his preseason with 5 2/3 innings in an 8-1 loss vs. the A¡¯s at Sloan Park. He struck out three, induced seven outs via grounders and yielded three runs. Boyd allowed a pair of solo homers and surrendered a sacrifice fly (the lone damage done in a no-outs, bases-loaded jam in the third).
Boyd¡¯s next assignment is slated for March 30 against the D-backs in the finale of the upcoming four-game series to open Chicago¡¯s domestic season. It will be the official starting point for what Boyd and the Cubs hope is a full campaign for the lefty, who enjoyed a strong comeback from Tommy John surgery last season with Cleveland.
¡°I felt good,¡± Boyd said of his start against the A¡¯s. "I was just trying to attack guys similar as I would in-season, and working with [catcher Miguel Amaya] on doing the same thing. It was a good day in terms of accomplishing that goal and going out there and mixing and using it all and adapting.¡±
Sunday¡¯s game did not feature Statcast data, but Boyd¡¯s appearance in Japan gave some insight into his progress.
During his four-inning outing against Yomiuri, Boyd reached at least 94 mph with his four-seam fastball six times (hitting a max speed of 95 mph). Last season, the southpaw threw 15 total four-seamers at 94 mph or higher, with six being his most in one game (Sept. 6 against the Dodgers). Boyd averaged 92.9 mph against the Giants, compared to a 92.0 mph average last season overall.
Beyond the velocity, Boyd registered 15 swinging strikes out of 32 swings induced (47%) in that outing in Japan. The lefty created at least one whiff with his entire arsenal: four-seamer (five), changeup (five), slider (three), curveball (one) and sinker (one). That kind of variety matters more to Boyd than a radar-gun reading.
¡°The one thing you¡¯ll probably learn about me,¡± Boyd said, ¡°is I¡¯m not really aiming for anything in terms of velocity. The checkpoints for me are just staying in my delivery, staying behind the baseball, driving it down, so it can have the life up, as backwards as that sounds.
¡°When the uptick¡¯s there, that¡¯s great. My game isn¡¯t based off that. It¡¯s about changing speeds and moving it up and around.¡±
Last season, the 34-year-old Boyd logged a 2.72 ERA with 46 strikeouts against 13 walks in eight starts (39 2/3 innings) for Cleveland over the final two months. That stretch began with an outing against the Cubs on Aug. 13, when he allowed just one run over 5 1/3 innings with six strikeouts and no walks.
Boyd then made three more starts in the playoffs, spinning a 0.77 ERA before the Guardians were eliminated in the American League Championship Series. He felt like he was settling into a great rhythm, and then Cleveland's run came to a halt.
¡°It ended more abruptly than we wanted it to,¡± he said. ¡°It was like, ¡®I feel like I¡¯m just starting to hit my stride -- I want to do more.¡¯ Knowing and believing what¡¯s ahead, I¡¯m just really excited now to do what I can to just help the Cubs.¡±
From what Counsell witnessed in Tokyo, there is optimism over Boyd¡¯s potential this year.
¡°Matt has to answer durability questions -- there¡¯s no question about it,¡± Counsell said. ¡°But yeah, the Matt Boyd that we pitched [in Japan] is the same guy that faced us in Cleveland. That¡¯s the same pitcher that pitched in the playoffs for the Guardians last year.¡±