Detroit – One of Matthew Boyd’s hallmark traits is his willingness to attack hitters in the strike zone. Strike-throwing is as much a part of his pitcher DNA as his slider and changeup.
He wasn’t that guy Friday night. Not for a minute.
Pitching against his hometown Seattle Mariners, the team he finished last season with, Boyd walked leadoff hitter J.P. Crawford on four pitches and it went downhill from there.
He ended up walking as many hitters as he got out (four). He lasted 1.1 innings – one of the outs came on a pickoff at first base − and was charged with six runs, five earned and the Mariners coasted to a 9-2 win in the first of three at Comerica Park.