Matthew Boyd Presented a Challenge For Max Fried In Game 2

Matthew Boyd has pitched quite well for the Chicago Cubs this year. He presented a good challenge for the Yankees’ ace Max Fried. Boyd is an All-Star and has experienced a career revitalization since coming over from the Detroit Tigers. Matthew Boyd presented a challenge, and the Cubs won 5-2. The Cubs are the highest-scoring team in baseball. Boyd has had a great first half of the season. Do you think that good pitching beats good hitting in baseball?

Lineups As Boyd Presents Challenge for Yanks

The Chicago Cubs had Nico Hoerner as the second baseman, batting leadoff. Kyle Tucker was the right fielder, batting second. Seiya Suzuki was the designated hitter, batting third. Carson Kelly was the catcher, batting fourth. Pete Crow-Armstrong was the center fielder and batted fifth. Dansby Swanson was the shortstop and batted sixth. Ian Happ played left field and batted seventh. Justin Turner was the first baseman and batted eighth. Michael Busch took over for him in the sixth inning. Jon Berti was the third baseman and batted ninth.

For the Yankees, Paul Goldschmidt batted first and was the first baseman. Cody Bellinger was the left fielder and batted second. Aaron Judge was the right fielder who batted third. Giancarlo Stanton was the designated hitter and batted fourth. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the second baseman, batting fifth. Trent Grisham was the center fielder and batted sixth. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop and batted seventh. Austin Wells was the catcher, batting eighth. Oswald Peraza was the third baseman and batted ninth. 

News and Notes 

Bellinger hit three two-run home runs against his former team last night. He was robbed of a fourth home run. He is very hot now and has a 16-game hitting streak. He was a great trade acquisition.

The Yankees are now red hot. They have made roster moves and made their infield defense more stout. General Manager Brian Cashman said the Yankees will be buyers at the trade deadline. It will be interesting to see who they acquire.

Yankees Starting Pitcher Carlos Rodon was named to the All-Star team yesterday.  It must have suited him as he pitched eight innings in the Yankees’ resounding 11-0 win. This is his first All-Star appearance for the Yankees.

It was announced that Chisholm Jr. will participate in the 2025 Home Run Derby. He was originally going to face Ronald Acuna Jr., who is going to miss the game with an injury. Now he will face Matt Olson. Oddly, the Yankees stay in Atlanta to play the Braves after the All-Star break. That is a convenient schedule oddity. Boyd and Fried both have seven pickoffs, leading their respective leagues.

Game Reaction

With Boyd and Fried both pinching. There were not many runs scored in this game. Though the Cubs scored in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Nico Hoerner tripled. He scored on an RBI groundout from Tucker. Fried was bothered by something and did not have his good stuff, in his worst outing of the season. Boyd was fantastic and operated with surgical precision. Bellinger extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a ground-rule double in the ninth inning. That was right before the Judge’s home run.

Scoring Summary

In the first inning, Hoerner scored on a groundout from Tucker. It was 1-0 Cubs. In the third inning, the Cubs scored three runs. First, Kelly singled and Tucker scored. It was 2-0 Cubs. Second, Swanson grounded into a force out, and Suzuki scored. Third, Happ singled and Swanson scored. It was 4-0 Cubs. In the eighth inning, Kelly hit a solo home run. It was 5-0 Cubs. In the ninth inning, Judge hit a two-run home run, and Bellinger scored. The Yankees trailed 5-2. That was how the game ended.

Final Thoughts

Having won the first four games of this home stand, and five in a row (all against potential playoff teams), the Yankees entered this game playing with house money.