Chicago Cubs: Matthew Boyd gets hammered in latest Iowa rehab outing

The Chicago Cubs have to feel good after yet another walkoff win—the second in three games—to even up their home series with the San Francisco Giants.

More News: Chicago Cubs bench Dansby Swanson amid ugly team freefall

Although center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong got most of the accolades for his hitting heroics in a 4-for-5, two home run day, starting pitcher Ben Brown has to get some major respect as well.

The hard-throwing right-hander delivered another masterful outing for the Cubs as he registered 5.1 shutout innings while allowing only one hit and one walk while striking out five.

The 26-year-old’s recent run of success as an emergency fill-in starter in a battered and strained rotation has been a godsend for a team at the end of its rope in that regard. Through six starts this season, Brown has posted a 1.44 ERA and is throwing about as well as any other starter in baseball.

Brown’s success, however, is offset by the absolute disaster all around him in a struggling Cubs rotation where nobody else has an ERA below 4.59 at the moment.

Last year’s surprising ace Matthew Boyd, however, is expected to make his comeback from surgery to repair a damaged meniscus—in what was his second stint on the IL this season—to bring some stability back to Chicago’s starting five.

Judging by Saturday’s rehab appearance in Iowa, it might not be prudent to count too heavily on the southpaw veteran being the cavalry the Cubs need.

Matt Boyd gets lit up in Des Moines

More News: Chicago Cubs recall Javier Assad as starting rotation experiences full-on collapse

Against the Toledo Mud Hens at Principal Park in Des Moines, Boyd got the win on the ledger, but gave up five earned runs in five innings pitched and allowed three home runs on seven hits. In his prior outing with the Iowa Cubs, the 35-year-old gave up three runs (two earned) in four innings.

Despite the subpar performance on Saturday and a combined 7.00 ERA in two outings in Iowa since his surgery, Boyd says he feels good and is ready for a return to the major league Cubs.

“I feel real good. I accomplished what I wanted to,” Boyd told the Des Moines Register after Saturday’s game. “Obviously, I wish I didn’t give up the home runs, but sometimes that happens, you know, in a park like this, but you just gotta keep going…I’ll be recovered and be ready for whenever the next one is. I’ll probably play in the next one up there [in Chicago]. I don’t know, we’ll see. You gotta talk to them and we’ll go from there.”

Better than what’s behind him

The reality at this point is that any version of Boyd—even the one that has delivered a 6.00 ERA on the major league squad over five starts so far—is better than what the Cubs have in reserve behind him.

As of right now, the expectation is that Boyd will be back on the big league roster for his next start.

The post Chicago Cubs: Matthew Boyd gets hammered in latest Iowa rehab outing appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-matthew-boyd-hammered-iowa-rehab-outing/