Game Recap: Cubs pound out 12 hits in win over Rays |
Dustin Riese
· · 4 hours ago
CHICAGO - As good as Matthew Boyd has been for the Chicago Cubs (84-63), there are some growing concerns surrounding him as the playoffs near. For starters, with every passing start, Boyd is accumulating more and more innings, leading to the possibility that he could be dealing with some late-season fatigue.
You have started to see signs of that over the past eight starts as he came into Friday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays (72-75) with a 4.76 in those eight starts, and that downward trend continued Friday Afternoon at Wrigley Field. For the second time in as many starts, Boyd got off to a slow start and allowed three runs in the first inning. Apart from that, he managed to grind it out through five innings as he allowed just one run the rest of the way in the Cubs' 6-4 win over the way. Chicago is fortunate enough to have some off days down the stretch, which could present an opportunity to give Boyd some much-needed rest. Although he managed to secure the win, going five innings and allowing four runs, his ERA has risen above 3.00 for the first time this season and now stands at 3.05. In what was a carbon copy of his last start against the Nationals, Boyd found himself in instant trouble as Chandler Simpson opened the game with a leadoff single before a Yandy Diaz walk put two runners on with no outs. Hoping to minimize the damage, it was former Cub Christopher Morel coming through with a massive hit as his three-run shot gave the Rays an early 3-0 lead. It was a lead that Shane Baz was hoping to keep, as things haven't gone well for the right-hander this season. Baz found out firsthand that no lead is safe at Wrigley, no matter how much the Cubs' offense is struggling, as a leadoff single by Nico Hoerner set the Cubs offense up in the second. That was followed by a series of RBI hits as the Dansby Swanson double brought home the first run, while a pair of two-out singles from Michael Busch and Ian Happ brought things back to even 3-3. Those were just the first of what were five unanswered runs for the Cubs offense as the middle of the order got things started again in the fifth, as a one-out walk to Hoerner gave the Cubs another runner. A few pitches later, and it was Moises Ballesteros coming through in a big way as his first career triple brought home the go-ahead run and put the Cubs on top for good, 4-3. Chicago managed to load the bases later in the inning, leading to an RBI forceout from Matt Shaw as the Cubs extended their lead to 5-3. Despite his shaky start to the game, Boyd managed to regain control quickly. However, with Jake Magnum leading off the fourth with a single, ahead of a walk, the Rays were threatening as they had two runners on and no outs. Boyd came close to pitching out of that jam without damage, but it was the Nick Fortes single that pulled the Rays closer as they made this a 5-4 game. This was one of those rare games where Boyd didn't have it on the mound, and when that happens, it would be nice if the Cubs' offense could pick up the slack. You have started to see that in his last few outings, and with Happ unloading for a solo shot to begin the fourth, it was the Cubs extending their lead to 6-4. Happ is one of the few players in this lineup who is actually hitting the ball right now, as he led the Cubs with three hits and two RBIs to continue his recent hot start. With Boyd out of the game after five subpar innings and the Cubs holding a 6-4 lead, this was going to come down to the bullpen, as they have been lights out for the past week. After dominating the Braves earlier in the week, the Cubs' bullpen continued to get the job done as four different relievers combined for not only four no-hit innings, but four perfect innings as the Cubs picked up a massive 6-4 win. Chicago pounded out 12 hits in the win as Happ led the way with three of those hits and two RBIs. Hoerner, Ballesteros, and Michael Busch all had two hits as the Cubs' offense was alive and well.
