The Cleveland Guardians were facing one of their toughest assignments of the season so far on Friday night.
They were visiting LA to play the Dodgers, owners of the best record in baseball and, of course, employers of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and many more stars.
In the end, the Guards ended up prevailing 3-1 thanks to two key players.
One of them was second baseman Andrés Giménez, who socked a two-run homer in the sixth inning that Cleveland never relinquished.
The other one was starter Matthew Boyd.
After watching him on the mound, his manager had nothing but good things to say about him.
“He’s always been a really good pitcher…I’m not surprised to see him having this success. He’s been a good pitcher for a long time and he’s going to continue to be.” Stephen Vogt says Matthew Boyd’s strong outings is exactly what they expect to get from him every single time,” Bally Sports Cleveland posted on X, with the skipper’s thoughts about the southpaw.
"He's always been a really good pitcher…I'm not surprised to see him having this success. He's been a good pitcher for a long time and he's going to continue to be."
Stephen Vogt says Matthew Boyd's strong outings is exactly what they expect to get from him every single time. pic.twitter.com/ZwBDlrxj9C
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) September 7, 2024
Boyd kept the incredibly tough Dodgers offense in check all night, tossing six rock-solid innings allowing just three hits and a run, which came on a solo home run by Ohtani in the sixth frame.
He didn’t walk anyone and struck out six Dodgers.
During a time in which the Guardians’ rotation is probably the most criticized unit on the team, Boyd continues to shine and his ERA is down to a brilliant 2.20.
Not bad for a cheap pickup, huh?
With the win, Cleveland’s lead in the AL Central is still a healthy 4.5 games.
NEXT: Guardians No. 1 Pick Is Experiencing A Mini Slump In High-A
