LOS ANGELES — Moments when Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani appears overmatched in the batter’s box do not arise often.
The ugly, out-of-whack swing Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd’s slider produced to conclude a three-pitch strikeout of Ohtani to open the third inning Friday night at Dodger Stadium highlighted how stellar his stuff has been this season. For five innings, Boyd relied predominately on his four-seam fastball, slider and changeup to prevent the stacked Dodgers lineup from getting anything going with just two hits, both singles, and two walks allowed.
The momentum quickly shifted in the sixth inning, however.
In a five-pitch span, Teoscar Hernández took a 3-2 changeup to left field for a single, Boyd hit Freddie Freeman with a sinker and Tommy Edman slugged a changeup on the second pitch of the at-bat for a three-run home run to end the scoreless game. That long ball stood as the difference in the Cubs’ 3-0 loss.
Those are the only runs Boyd has allowed in three starts this year.
“The way he makes pitches, he just doesn’t lean on just one side of the plate,” catcher Miguel Amaya said. “He moved the ball around also to protect his changeup, his spin, and the confidence he has up there to compete. That’s what he did tonight.
“Early in the game, establishing that fastball up top in the zone, away in the zone, protect that slider and that’s what helped him strike (Ohtani) out.”
Friday marked the first time the Cubs (9-7) have been shut out this season. They managed just two hits in the loss as Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out nine and walked one in six innings. Yamamoto’s effectiveness left Boyd with little margin for error.
“They have guys that won’t strike out,” Boyd said. “They have guys that will always give you a good battle at the plate. Throughout the lineup they have guys that can hit it out of the yard and working at-bats as well. So they’re a well-rounded lineup. They have multidimensions to that, and it’s always a welcome challenge.”
Edman has been a menace to the Cubs. This has been especially true the last two years with the Dodgers as six of his 12 home runs have come against the Cubs.
“It’s unfortunate,” Boyd said. “Edman’s a really good hitter, and when you put some traffic on base and just miss a little bit, he took advantage, and unfortunately, that was the difference in the ball game.”
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