Boyd excels again as Guardians take down Dodgers
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LOS ANGELES -- Changing speeds and winning over more believers, Guardians left-hander Matthew Boyd continued to solidify a spot in a playoff rotation after just five outings this season.
As if more evidence was needed that he would be a viable option in October, Boyd sliced his way through the lineup of a World Series favorite as the Guardians earned a 3-1 victory over the Dodgers in the opener of a three-game series on Friday at Dodger Stadium.
Boyd (2-1) gave up one run on three hits over six innings and Andrés Giménez hit a tie-breaking two-run home run in the sixth inning as Cleveland remained 4 1/2 games ahead of the Kansas City Royals and moved five games up on the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central.
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Brayan Rocchio also added a home run as the Guardians won for the sixth time in their past eight games.
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In five starts since returning from Tommy John surgery on Aug. 13, Boyd has given up one run or fewer in four of them. That high-upside signing in June, when Boyd agreed to join the Guardians despite still being in rehab mode, has been through the roof so far.
Aside from a bit of a shaky start, Boyd was in complete control. The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani flied out to the base of the center-field wall to lead off the first inning and Mookie Betts followed with a double. Boyd hit Teoscar Hernández, the Dodgers’ fourth batter of the game, in the left foot with a pitch.
Boyd escaped that jam and cruised through the Dodgers’ lineup until Ohtani hit a home run to center field in the bottom of the sixth.