Matthew Boyd’s first postseason start for the Cubs came with plenty of weight attached, but it unraveled almost immediately.
Chicago opened its Wild Card Series against the Padres on Wednesday with an 8-0 loss, and Boyd took the biggest hit. He lasted four innings, gave up four runs on five hits, and watched San Diego jump on him before the game had even settled in.
The first pitch set the tone. Fernando Tatis Jr. turned Boyd’s leadoff changeup into a 405-foot home run to center field, then Manny Machado followed two batters later with another blast. After the game, Boyd said that he “knew” Tatis was going to swing at the first pitch, but he missed over the middle of the plate and paid for it right away.
San Diego added one more homer against Boyd in the fourth, a solo shot by Xander Bogaerts, before Javier Assad came on in relief. The Cubs later used Aaron Civale, another former Guardian, who gave up one run on three hits.
Boyd arrived in Chicago on a two-year, $29 million deal before the 2025 season after a strong postseason run with the Guardians, a stretch that helped Cleveland reach the American League Championship Series. His first playoff outing with the Cubs was the opposite of that story. He has been a useful arm for Chicago over two seasons and was an All-Star last year, but his ERA was 70 points higher this season than it was in 2024, and now he has a rough October line on his record.
The Cubs have plenty of firepower, including likely National League MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong, but the Wild Card Series can strip all of that away in a hurry. It may not be the one-game sprint of the old format, but it still leaves very little room for error.
Boyd’s start could also wind up being his last for the Cubs. His contract includes a mutual option for 2027, though those are rarely exercised.
If that does turn out to be the case, it would close a productive stretch that began after he signed with Chicago and called Stephen Vogt to apologize. The Guardians helped Boyd get his career back on track after injuries and uneven performance had stalled it, and that revival set up this third act with the Cubs.
Now, after one rough night in the postseason, the next chapter could come somewhere else.
In Other News...
Guardians ALDS Picture Just Got More Complicated After Wild Card Opener
The Guardians ALDS path became a little clearer, and a little messier, after the White Sox opened their Wild Card Series with a 6-3 win over the Astros. Cleveland is waiting to see which opponent emerges for Saturdays Division Series start, and the result in Houston immediately adds another layer to the scouting work the Guardians already had in front of them.
Chicagos win means Cleveland now has to prepare for a series that could come with a different look on the mound than many expected, which matters in October as much as anything. The matchup, the pitching order and the way each club lines up its arms could all shape the opening games in a hurry, and the Guardians will be watching the rest of this series closely before the ALDS gets underway. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Finally Have A Real ALDS Opportunity If One Team Advances
The Guardians are lined up for a genuine ALDS chance, and they get the benefit of home-field advantage no matter which club emerges from the Houston Astros-Chicago White Sox series. Even though Cleveland dropped the regular-season matchups against both possible opponents, those meetings came before this group fully took shape, and the roster has changed enough since then to make those results feel less predictive than they once did.
What makes this setup so intriguing is how much better the Guardians look now than they did in those earlier head-to-heads. Key players have come back from injury, the roster has been strengthened by new additions, and the overall tone around the club has shifted as a result. Analysts around the team believe Cleveland is better positioned now to push either Houston or Chicago, which gives this waiting game a little more edge while the Division Series bracket plays out. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Fans Suddenly Have A Real Stephen Vogt Offseason Concern
Stephen Vogts rise in Cleveland has been quick enough to make him one of the more intriguing names around the managerial carousel, and now theres a fresh reason for Guardians fans to pay attention. After the Mariners moved on from Dan Wilson following the 2026 season, their opening has immediately become one of the most interesting jobs on the board, with Vogt mentioned as a possible candidate because of what he has already built in Cleveland.
That alone is enough to stir concern in the Guardians dugout and in the fan base, especially after Vogt guided the club to three straight AL Central titles and then signed a multi-year deal after the 2024 season. Any move would not be simple, though, because a change like this would likely require a trade, and for now there has been no official confirmation of any Seattle pursuit. Still, the connection is real enough to keep Cleveland on alert. [Read more 🡒]