Cubs takeaways: What we learned as Matthew Boyd bounces Yankees in win
There’s not much a team can do after a blowout loss besides pull itself up by the bootstraps and go again.
That’s exactly what Matthew Boyd and the Cubs did Saturday in a 5-2 win over Max Fried and the New York Yankees.
Two All-Star southpaws went toe-to-toe at Yankee Stadium in a must-win game for the Cubs (56-39), and Boyd came out on top to ensure the North Siders held on to their slim NL Central lead.
Here are three things we learned from a big Cubs win over the Yankees (53-42) in The Bronx.
Boyd burns ‘em
Even though he’ll no longer pitch in next week’s MLB All-Star Game, Boyd isn’t relinquishing the title he rightfully earned for the first time in his 11-year career.
The Cubs’ veteran left-hander was tasked with facing a Yankees offense that scored 11 runs Friday, and he made them look like a completely different team Saturday.
“Quality start” hardly is enough to describe Boyd’s performance. Through eight scoreless innings — his longest outing of the season — Boyd had thrown just 85 pitches. He had six strikeouts, and Yankees hitters managed just four hits off him.
The Cubs knew Boyd was expertly steering his start into Greg Maddux territory — a complete-game shutout done in under 100 pitches. But they erred on the side of caution and brought in Brad Keller to try and close out the game.
Keller found himself in some late trouble, allowing a two-run homer to Aaron Judge to make it 5-2. Keller proceeded to hit Giancarlo Stanton with a pitch, so Cubs manager Craig Counsell turned to Daniel Palencia to record the final two outs, which he did for his 11th save of the season.
Boyd enters the All-Star break with a 10-3 record — he’d previously never won 10 games in a season in his MLB career — and he leads the Cubs with a 2.34 ERA, 102 strikeouts and 13 quality starts in his 19 appearances.
A new No. 1
The Cubs made a lineup switch official, as Counsell told reporters before the game that Nico Hoerner will hit leadoff against lefties.
Hoerner took that spot Friday while Ian Happ had an off day, but he remained there when Happ returned to the lineup Saturday, as the Cubs faced a left-handed ace in Fried.
Happ, who entered Saturday having been the Cubs’ leadoff man in all 84 games he played this year, was just 19-for-113 (.168) in his last 30 games. So, Counsell moved the switch-hitter from first to seventh in the order.
Counsell had another good reason for the change: Hoerner is slashing .349/.375/.530 with a .905 OPS against lefties this season. Also, two of his three home runs have come against southpaws.
The switch paid immediate dividends when Hoerner smacked a leadoff triple to deep left-center field. Kyle Tucker brought Hoerner home on a groundout to first, and the Cubs had a much-needed early lead.
The change in scenery worked wonders for Happ, too. He started his day 2-for-2, including an RBI single in the third. It was Happ’s first multi-hit game since June 25.
Max-ed out
Fried has been nothing short of Cy Young Award material in his first season with the Yankees. A 2.27 ERA with 111 strikeouts over 119 innings pitched illustrated the dominant stuff from one of the league’s best pitchers.
Fried somehow has been even better in his career against the Cubs. He entered Saturday with a 1.18 ERA over 38 innings in six starts against Chicago, all when he was with the Atlanta Braves.
But the Cubs didn’t care to dwell on the past. Instead, they forced Fried into his shortest start of the season — four runs (three earned) on six hits, and after three innings and 73 pitches, the All-Star already are done for the day. He managed to strike out just two Cubs, matching his lowest tally in a start this season.
It was quite the performance from a Cubs offense that largely has struggled against left-handed pitching this season — something that was exemplified when Carlos Rodón shut them out Friday.
In the Cubs’ last action before the All-Star break, they will send Shota Imanaga (5-3, 2.80 ERA) to the mound Sunday against Yankees right-hander Will Warren (6-4, 4.70 ERA). Pregame coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. CT on Marquee Sports Network, with first pitch scheduled for 12:35.
