CHICAGO — On Tuesday night, Matthew Boyd delivered a standout performance by pitching seven strong innings, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 5-2 victory over the struggling Cleveland Guardians. Boyd’s efforts marked his eighth win of the season. Seiya Suzuki added to the Cubs’ advantage with a commanding home run, his 23rd of the year, cementing his status as the team’s leading slugger.
Carson Kelly made a significant contribution with two doubles and a sacrifice fly, resulting in three RBIs. Michael Busch also played a pivotal role, going 3-for-3 at the plate and bringing in a run, helping the Cubs consolidate their position atop the NL Central and notch their 50th win of the season.
In the midst of Cleveland’s struggles, Carlos Santana stood out by reaching a career milestone with his 400th double, contributing two hits on the night. However, the Guardians faced their fifth consecutive loss. They managed to break a 17-inning scoreless streak in the fourth, as Nolan Jones’ RBI single and Angel Martínez’s sacrifice fly provided a glimmer of hope. Yet, Cleveland’s scoring woes persisted, with runs in only two of their last 45 innings.
Boyd (8-3) excelled on the mound, relinquishing two runs on five hits, with five strikeouts and a single walk. He effectively retired 11 consecutive batters before Brad Keller took over in the eighth inning. Daniel Palencia impressed in the ninth, striking out two batters for his ninth save of the season.
Cleveland’s pitcher Gavin Williams (5-4) faced challenges, allowing four runs on seven hits and four walks. The Cubs surged ahead 3-0 in the second inning following a series of four consecutive hits. Kelly’s daring dash home was thwarted when the ball slipped past catcher Bo Naylor, but Williams managed to pick off Nico Hoerner and Matt Shaw at first base subsequent to walking them.
After Cleveland tightened the gap to 3-2 in the fourth, Suzuki hammered a solo home run to left field in the sixth, reinforcing the Cubs’ dominance. The decisive moment appeared in the fourth inning when Boyd curtailed Cleveland’s offensive momentum by picking off Jones for the second out and inducing a groundout from Naylor.
A standout statistic from the game was Boyd securing his 12th quality start in 17 games, now just one win shy of his career high, tallied during his tenure with Detroit in 2018 and 2019.
Upcoming, the Guardians are set to have right-hander Tanner Bibee (4-8, 3.80 ERA) square off against the Cubs’ left-hander Shota Imanaga (4-2, 2.54) on Wednesday.