by Coleman Robbins
Chicago— Two weeks ago the Chicago Cubs looked like a team searching for answers. The offense was sputtering, and injuries to key starters Cade Horton and Matthew Boyd added to the concern.
Before landing on the injured list from April 6-22, Boyd turned in mixed results. He had one shaky outing against the Nationals, allowing six earned runs in 3 ⅔ innings, but rebounded with a 10-strikeout performance against the Los Angeles Angels.
“Greatful to be back, grateful to be competing,” Boyd said after his return. “No one ever wants to miss time, you want to be out there with the ball in your hand. Craig (Counsell) has preached since I got here last year for open communication. So I’m grateful they’ve created an environment where you can be honest with that. You always want to be out there, but I’m grateful for the wisdom that helped make that decision.”
Boyd mounted the bump for his second career start against the Philadelphia Phillies in commanding fashion—striking out five and allowing two earned runs over 4 ⅔ innings of work.
“I was trying to get Craig (Counsell) to let me go a little more,” Boyd said. “He’s awesome at those decisions and he stuck to the plan that we had. I would have loved to be more efficient and take the burden off the bullpen.”
Chicago has thrived when its pitching holds firm. The Cubs are 14-4 (.779) this season when surrendering four runs or fewer. With all the moving parts and recent injuries, Craig Counsell and his staff deserve the praise for how they’ve handled the roster and pitching staff.
“It’s taken all of us, from the starters to every man in the bullpen,” Boyd said. “It’s been impressive. When you go on these win streaks it’s a product of everybody doing their job. It’s special. It’s a lot of fun right now.”
Backing Boyd, Chicago’s bullpen delivered 3 ⅓ scoreless innings, allowing four hits while striking out seven without issuing a walk. Ben Brown led the effort with 2 ⅓ shutout innings.
Now winners of eight straight, the Cubs have matched their longest run since July 21-29, 2023, outscoring opponents 58-20 during the run. The surge marks the Cubs’ longest April winning streak since an 11-game stretch in 1970.
At the plate, the lineup was firing on all cylinders in Boyd’s return, all nine starters reached base, and the lineup contributed seven RBI and two home runs in the 7-2 victory over the Phillies.
“If you have enough good hitters in there, you expect a group of them at times to be seeing it well and swinging it well,” manager Craig Counsell said after the Cubs notched their eighth win in a row. “Tonight some of the guys who were off to a little bit of a slower start had to have big nights. That’s how a good offense and lineup should work, and that’s what leads to run consistency hopefully.”
With contributions coming from the rotation, bullpen, and lineup, the Cubs have quickly turned an uncertain start into one of baseball’s hottest runs.
