With their season on the line, the Chicago Cubs are turning to their All-Star left-hander Matthew Boyd, who was announced as the team's Game 4 starter on Thursday morning.
The announcement drew a wide range of reactions, ranging from excitement to dread, with those feeling skeptical still feeling shell-shocked from his NLDS Game 1 blow-up against the Milwaukee Brewers last weekend, in which he failed to escape the first inning in a lopsided 9-3 loss.
A win in Game 4 would force a winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday at American Family Field. With virtually all of their high-leverage arms forced into action Wednesday night, a strong start from Boyd could be the difference between the Cubs living to fight another day and closing the book on the 2025 campaign.