Let’s try this again. For the Cubs, the last time they trotted out veteran lefty Matthew Boyd against the Brewers, it did not go so well. That was in Game 1, and the Cubs staked Boyd to a one-run lead in Milwaukee. Then, it all fell apart, as Boyd went just 0.2 innings and gave up four hits, a walk and six runs, though only two were earned thanks to a Nico Hoerner error.
In the end, it was a 9-3 smackdown by Milwaukee.
But if you’re a Cubs fan with the season on the line on Thursday (9:08 ET) night, you might well put that drubbing aside for two main reasons. One, Boyd was starting on three days rest, something he had not done since 2017. In Game 4, he will have four days, as per usual.
And two, Boyd will be at Wrigley Field. While he was solid throughout the 2025 season (14-8, 3.21) he was exceptional at home. Boyd was 12-1 with a 2.51 ERA in the Friendly Confines, getting a WHIP of 0.903. On the road, he was 2-7 with a 3.90 ERA this season, and a WHIP of 1.278.
Boyd was confident heading in.
“I know what I will do when the ball is in my hand. When that time comes, I will be ready,” he said.
Cubs Hopeful Bullpen Is Ready
The Cubs made the announcement on Boyd about nine hours before game time, and it comes after the team stayed alive on Wednesday with a 4-3 win over the Brewers at Wrigley, making the series 2-1. The Cubs started Jameson Taillon in that one–he went four innings (two runs allowed) and manager Craig Counsell went with five relievers after that.
Counsell said after the game that he was not sure all his relievers would be ready, but he anticipated they would be, since they stayed below 20 pitches each.
Counsell said, “I’m going to always wait to see how they feel when they come in, but I don’t think any of them threw more than 20 pitches. A couple guys went one plus, but nobody with more than 20 pitches. I anticipate being in pretty good shape.”
Counsell Praises Cubs Resilience
Counsell, of course, was taken to task by Chicago media and Cubs fans alike for starting Boyd on three days rest in Game 1. But he’s managed to get the team back to this point and he offered some perspective on the urgency his team feels going into Game 4.
“It’s fun and stressful in the same sentence, in the same light, and I think you feel both emotions a lot,” Counsell said. “But you’re playing to play tomorrow, and that can’t help but give you something else. It has to.
“I thought we played with that urgency, especially in the first — we just did a great job in the first inning. We had really good at-bats. I thought the Michael homer, yes, great. Nico getting on base right away again, it’s not going to be a one-run-inning. You’re going to have a tough inning again.
“I thought we did that really, really well, and it makes a difference. Every run is so hard to come by, and so we put together that really beautiful inning, and you have to play like that. You kind of pull out all the stops, and if that gives you an advantage, you try to use it as much as you can.”
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