Cubs’ Boyd flops on short rest in Game 1; Counsell stands by call

MILWAUKEE — The Chicago Cubs took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of their NLDS showdown on Saturday only to leave the inning about 20 minutes later down 6-1.

Most of the damage came against Cubs starter Matthew Boyd, who didn’t look sharp while pitching on three days’ rest, lasting just eight batters.

“It’s unfortunate it was such a big inning, but that was the difference in the game today,” Boyd said after the Brewers’ 9-3 victory.

Boyd, 34, left after an 11 pitch at-bat by Brewers center fielder Blake Perkins, who singled home Milwaukee’s fourth run of the game.

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At that point, Cubs manager Craig Counsell had seen enough, pulling Boyd after 30 pitches, four hits and a walk. Boyd was eventually charged with six runs, but only two were earned after a Nico Hoerner error opened the inning up for the Brewers.

Asked afterward why he started Boyd on short rest, Counsell cited the fact he had thrown only 58 pitches in the Cubs’ Game 1 win over the San Diego Padres in the wild-card series and also “what he’s done all season, being our best starting pitcher.” The Cubs said they were thinking about giving Boyd the ball for NLDS opener not long after he came out of his start against the Padres. It might have backfired.

Over the past 30 postseasons, starting pitchers on three days of rest have a 4.50 ERA, according to ESPN Research.

“We picked Matt Boyd to pitch,” Counsell said when pressed about the decision. “I don’t know what to say. He pitched, it didn’t go well. We’ve got to make decisions. We went with Matt.

“We’re very comfortable — I was very comfortable — putting Matt Boyd on the mound today. The whole organization was comfortable putting Matt Boyd on the mound today.”

Coming into the game, Boyd had limited experience pitching on three days, compiling a 4.70 ERA in three career games before Saturday. Against the Brewers in Game 1, he posted some of his worst numbers of the season, including landing only 43% of his pitches in the strike zone, his lowest rate of the year. Boyd also induced a 60% swing rate by the Brewers, his second highest of the season.

The Brewers weren’t fooled by anything he threw.

“The main thing we talked about [all week] is, promise me you’ll be ready for the first pitch,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said of his hitters. “When the bell rings, you’re ready. You’ve got to get your pitch, as they say, and Boyd was coming back on short rest. We hit some balls where they weren’t and we were ready, and I loved the at-bats early.”

Perkins added: “I’m kind of sitting there, too, like dang, how are we doing this sometimes? It’s a cool feeling, and it’s really fun to be a part of.”

The time off between the regular season and the postseason didn’t impact Milwaukee’s offense, though the time on the mound during the previous round seemingly impacted Boyd. He struggled down the stretch of the regular season as well, compiling a 5.31 ERA in September, by far his worst month of the season.

The Brewers added three more runs in the second inning, sending reliever Mike Soroka to the showers after a shortened outing, forcing former Brewer Aaron Civale to pick up the slack, pitching 4⅓ innings. It might be the only positive after an awful day for the Cubs: They saved their pen for another day.

“Aaron’s outing, really, really saved us,” Counsell said.

Game 2 is Monday night in Milwaukee.