Newcomers Matthew Boyd, Carson Kelly shine as Cubs win fifth straight
Kyle Tucker was the Cubs’ most eye-catching and important offseason acquisition.
Fellow first-year Cubs Matthew Boyd and Carson Kelly also have meaningful roles, and they fulfilled them again Saturday.
Boyd threw six scoreless innings, Kelly hit a home run and drove in four runs, Dansby Swanson also homered and the Cubs won their fifth straight by beating the Padres 7-1 in front of an announced crowd of 35,391. Boyd has begun his Cubs career with 11 scoreless innings, and Saturday was especially meaningful for the left-hander.
Boyd’s grandfather (who died in 2019) grew up in Chicago and was a passionate Cubs fan. Boyd thought about that when he stepped onto the Wrigley Field mound for the first time with the Cubs after pitching there in 2015 as a member of the Tigers.
“To get to be part of this is really cool,” Boyd said. “Definitely [it’s] giving me a lot of gratitude.”
As nice as the story is, the Cubs handed Boyd a two-year, $29 million contract for reasons beyond sentimentality.
Boyd was acquired to provide rotation depth behind Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon to help the Cubs try to survive 162 games and win the NL Central for the first time in a full season since 2017. On Saturday, the 34-year-old journeyman did more than just fill innings, giving up five hits and one walk while striking out five to build off his five scoreless innings March 30 against the Diamondbacks.
Manager Craig Counsell said Boyd has gotten through lineups by controlling the opposition’s aggressiveness and keeping them off-balance by successfully changing speeds.
“Matt’s been awesome,” Counsell said. “He’s doing such a good job of front-to-back with the offspeed pitches and the fastball. He’s pitched wonderfully.”
Boyd’s day was relatively smooth until the last batter he faced.
With two outs in the sixth, the Padres’ Jackson Merrill smoked a 102.2-mph comebacker that hit Boyd’s left arm and caromed to second baseman Nico Hoerner. Hoerner threw to first for the out, and Boyd seemed to be OK.
“A little embarrassing more than anything,” Boyd quipped. “I’ll be OK. We’ve got a good training staff that will take care of it.”
Kelly helped Boyd take care of a Padres lineup that started the season with seven straight wins. The veteran catcher was also a prominent reason why the offense ignited on a 49-degree day with the wind blowing in from the north.
After making national headlines by hitting for the cycle March 31 against the Athletics, Kelly didn’t quite match that Saturday but he gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the second on a single that brought in Swanson. In the sixth, his three-run home run to left gave the Cubs a 7-0 lead.
“It was great to come in and contribute,” Kelly said. “RBI in scoring position, I got a good swing on a good pitch in the middle of the plate.”
Signed to split the catching duties with Miguel Amaya, Kelly has given the lineup more length and pop, making opposing pitchers work even harder to get three outs. Getting offensive production from the catcher is also a welcome bonus, something the Cubs did not receive early last year.
“It’s critical,” Counsell said. “I think you become a consistent offense when it doesn’t have to be the same guys every day. It can be different guys. That’s what it’s felt like so far. We’ve been getting it from different places in the lineup, different people, different spots in the lineup.
“I strongly believe that’s what’s going to make it consistent.”