BALTIMORE — The Chicago Cubs know what a healthy Matthew Boyd can give them.
At this point last year, Boyd had earned his first All-Star selection during the best full season of his career, which saw the lefty pitch a staff-high 179 2/3 innings and post a 3.21 ERA in 31 starts. Two injuries have limited Boyd’s availability and effectiveness this season.
Making his penultimate start of the first half Tuesday night against the Baltimore Orioles, the 35-year-old wanted to build upon his last outing — a June 30 win versus the San Diego Padres in which he allowed three runs and eight hits in five-plus innings with no walks.
Boyd came off the injured list before his June 25 start after missing seven weeks following a meniscectomy in his left knee. He also missed two weeks in early April because of a biceps strain. The two IL stints have limited him to 39 2/3 innings this season.
“A lot of what a pitcher needs, like Matt needs, is he needs to get on that consistent routine and to be on the pitch, bullpen, pitch,” manager Craig Counsell said pregame Tuesday, “not the injured mode where you’re rehabbing and protecting and you’ve got to limit things. So I think we’re back to that place.
“It’ll get Matt in a good place in terms of making himself more consistent and execution improving, things like that. So I think we’re in a good spot. He’s had two good outings to start this, and hopefully as we’re getting into this now, we’re in a kind of normal season mode from Matt.”
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The version of Boyd the Cubs got Tuesday at Camden Yards could make him an X-factor in the second half for a pitching staff still beleaguered by injuries. Boyd scattered three hits across six shutout innings in the Cubs’ 5-2 victory over the Orioles to begin a six-game trip heading into the All-Star break.
“He was amazing,” catcher Miguel Amaya said. “He was dialed in since pitch one. The other team had no chance against him.
“He’s so important for our rotation, especially helping the relievers, (to) go out there and throw six to seven innings. Hopefully he stays healthy for the rest of the season, and it’s going to be huge for us.”
The time missed sets up Boyd to be full go during the final 2½ months of the regular season if he can stay healthy. His fastball showed an uptick in velocity by nearly 2 mph in the first inning (94.4 mph) from his season average. It’s a sign of how good Boyd is feeling within his delivery and mechanics, something that could pay off for the rest of the season.
“Bullets were saved when coming back from the knee thing, and there’s a dynamic to that,” Boyd said. “You never want to miss time, but, yeah, silver lining without a doubt.”
In Boyd’s most troublesome spot, the Orioles put two on to open the fourth inning. He worked around Pete Alonso’s single and hitting Coby Mayo with a first-pitch curveball to get out of the jam, preserving the Cubs’ 1-0 lead.
Boyd responded by striking out Samuel Basallo, Blaze Alexander and Dylan Beavers — all on sliders. The pitch was effective when Boyd needed it, recording three called strikes and six whiffs.
“When the slider’s working like it is, it has depth,” Boyd said. “It’s a counter to the changeup and just gives a whole other dynamic to attacking hitters, especially a right-handed hitter. When you have something that can go down away and down and in and at similar speeds, then work the heater off that, it’s another dynamic that makes it fun to pitch with.”
The Cubs (51-40) received offensive contributions throughout the lineup. Nos. 8 and 9 hitters Dansby Swanson and Amaya helped set up Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman at the top of the order. Swanson and Amaya had two hits apiece and combined for four runs scored.
Crow-Armstrong (two singles, RBI) and Bregman (single, double, two RBIs) made those baserunners hurt for Orioles starter Shane Baz and the bullpen. Michael Busch also drove in a run out of the No. 3 spot on a sacrifice fly.
“I feel like this lineup is quality at-bat after quality at-bat,” Bregman said. “So when we do that, we’re really good.”
Right-handers Jacob Webb, Tyler Ferguson and Trent Thornton combined to finish the final 2 1/3 innings, allowing one hit and no walks with three strikeouts.
Webb came into a bases-loaded, two-out situation in the seventh and limited the damage after Adley Rutschman’s two-run single. He stranded the tying runs at second and third by striking out Gunnar Henderson.
“We’re just trying to match it up and get guys in the right spots as best we can, knowing that they’re going to kind of unload benches at times,” Counsell said. “But they’ve done great.”
The trip got off to a delayed start after the Orioles’ discussion with Major League Baseball and the National Weather Service determined rain in the area would prevent the game from beginning on time. After a 56-minute delay during which no rain fell and the tarp was never pulled onto the field, the game finally got underway.