It has been quite the season for the Chicago Cubs. They have played well this year behind guys like Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Tucker, and Shota Imanaga.
With their 8-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, they have now clinched their postseason berth. They will be playing October baseball for the first time since the 2020 season, and the fanbase could not be happier.
However, there is some growing concern over the club’s starting rotation. One veteran pitcher has not been all that consistent as of late, and that could spill into the postseason.
Veteran pitcher’s recent struggles cause concern for Cubs’ pitching staff
Matthew Boyd was somebody many believed could be a playoff starter alongside Imanaga. However, he has been rather inconsistent over his last few starts. Sports Illustrated’s Kenneth Teape speaks on the veteran’s struggles.
“Through 53.2 innings since that point, including the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon, he has allowed 32 earned runs. That is a 5.37 ERA that only worsened against their NL Central rivals. Boyd has allowed another earned run in the second inning as well.”
Teape then goes on to explain that the workload could be catching up to him. he is experiencing a large number of innings that he just is not used to.
“Before Wednesday’s start against the Pirates, Boyd has already thrown 171.1 innings this season. That is the most in a single campaign since 2019 when he had 185.1 innings with the Detroit Tigers, a career high.”
Luckily, the club has seen Cade Horton step up and dominate on the mound. However, you cannot overlook this fall in production lately from Boyd.
