There’s really no other way to describe Opening Day for the Chicago Cubs. So much excitement built up during the offseason, culminating with Pete Crow-Armstrong’s contract extension a few days ago, and the team comes out with a stinker. Unfortunately, veteran starter Matthew Boyd didn’t do a lot to quiet the panic over his tough spring training as the left-handed pitcher was charged with six earned runs en route to 10-4 loss against the Washington Nationals.
Boyd, who was an All-Star in 2025 and then pitched for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, only lasted 3.2 innings against the Nationals on Thursday. He allowed a solo home run in the second inning, but was otherwise dominating Washington with seven strikeouts through the first three innings.
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s two-out, RBI-single in the bottom of the third gave the Cubs a brief 2-1 lead, but then the wheels came completely off for Boyd in the fourth. The Nationals reached five straight times to begin the inning and they could have done a lot more damage if it wasn’t for CJ Abrams getting thrown out at second base after he nearly hit a grand slam.
A two-out single knocked Boyd out of the game, and Ben Brown couldn’t stop the barrage. He gave up a two-run homer, putting the Cubs at a 7-2 disadvantage.
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The Cubs’ offense tried to claw back, scoring single runs in the fourth and seventh, but they were brutal with runners in scoring position all afternoon long, ending the day 4-for-19 in that department.
Brown allowed a run later on in his outing on a wild pitch, bringing his line to two earned runs in 3.1 innings. The Nationals added two more in the ninth inning, when Brady House hit a two-run homer against Jacob Webb.
The most critical moment for the Cubs’ offense came in the seventh inning, when Nico Hoerner could have challenged a called strike that appeared to be just off the inside edge of the strike zone. He decided not to, and a few pitches later, he grounded into an inning-ending double play. If he had challenged, then there’s a chance that the Cubs could have had the bases loaded with Carson Kelly due up at the plate.
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