Tonight, 33 year-old left-hander Matthew Boyd will toe the rubber against the Chicago Cubs for the Cleveland Guardians.
Boyd has a 4.65 FIP against Cleveland in his career, so he wasn’t chosen because he somehow dominates Guardians hitting (4.67 FIP at Progressive Field). No, I think Boyd’s signing is as simple as his 4.35 FIP as a starting pitcher in 2023 before getting hurt makes him a viable backend of the rotation starter. Boyd also had an xFIP of 3.17 for the last month before his elbow injury that sidelined him for a year in June of 2023.