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Matthew Boyd starts ALCS Game 3

Posted on by Kennedy
Matthew Boyd starts ALCS Game 3

CLEVELAND – The Guardians haven't seen a version of Matthew Boyd they didn't like. And now that Cleveland is 2-0 against the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series, Boyd will get the ball for Game 3 on Thursday at Progressive Field.

The Guardians dropped Game 1 and Game 2 in New York as the Yankees raided both Alex Cobb and Tanner Bibee. None of the Guardians starters made it past the third inning. Boyd, who joined the club mid-season as he rehabilitated from Tommy John surgery, hit a brilliant pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the American League Division Series and now carries the burden of helping the Guardians get back in the fold the series to return.

“Matt has thrown the ball well every time we got it this year,” manager Stephen Vogt said, speaking to the confidence he had when turning to Boyd in such key situations. “He worked extremely hard to get well again. … I’m excited to give him the ball and see what he can do.”

ALCS Game 2 Takeaways: Guards make rare defensive mistakes in ALCS Game 2; Tanner Bibee was taken out early

In eight regular-season starts, Boyd had a 2.72 ERA. He then pitched 6⅔ scoreless innings in the ALDS, including two innings in Game 5, which was more than enough for the Guardians before they reached their best bullpen in the league.

Matthew Boyd starts ALCS Game 3 for Guardians

The 33-year-old Boyd came to the Guardians with a career ERA of about 5.00 and was returning from major elbow surgery. For him, what Cleveland saw was the effort of about four years of work and refinement. It's just that this improvement couldn't be shown on the field as he was either injured or had to sit out due to injuries.

As Boyd noted Wednesday, one degree of clearance on the mound could be a “fan” with 17 inches of variance at the plate. For a pitcher who is struggling through something, repeating a throw can be difficult. After years, Boyd finally feels healthy.

So far, the Guardians have been the beneficiaries of this.

“I spent almost four years trying to find the best version of myself, but obviously there were things that got in the way of that – injuries,” Boyd said. “I would say what you're seeing now is that I'm just healthy, so I'm finally getting healthy reps and being able to do the things I wanted to do.”

Boyd also said his recent run is a huge credit to the “Cleveland Pitching Factory,” as Lucas Giolito once called it.

“These guys understand. Hey, this is the best version of you and what this looks like and what that looks like there,” Boyd said. “It’s just constant development every day. I’m really, really thankful for these guys.”

The Guardians have unclear plans for ALCS Games 4 and 5 against the New York Yankees

How the Guardians will attack the Yankees lineup after Game 3 remains unclear. Alex Cobb was originally scheduled to start Game 5, but his back injury – which led to Ben Lively replacing him on the ALCS squad – changed those plans.

Bibee's short start in Game 2, in which he threw just 39 pitches before being taken out of the game with the bases loaded in favor of Cade Smith, could also play a role in changing their plans. Bibee could potentially return for Game 5 with a shorter break.

Game 4 could then have several options, including Gavin Williams. But with three games in three straight days (if Game 5 is necessary), the Guardians will need a little more length from their starting pitching if they want to extend the series.

The Guardians will continue to respond every game.

“We have some ideas, but we still have to see how the games go,” said Vogt. “The theme of our whole year was, 'Let's worry about today, let's win today, and let's worry about tomorrow, tomorrow,' and we're sticking with that.”

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