Cubs announce Matthew Boyd as Game 1 starter vs. Padres...

The Chicago Cubs had one of the worst pitching staffs among playoff teams in the regular season. Chicago's staff ERA of 4.12 ranked 10th among 12 playoff teams, leaving many to question who manager Craig Counsell would give the ball to in Game 1 of the Cubs' wild-card series against the San Diego Padres. Chicago's starting pitching depth gave Counsell a plethora of options, but he opted to turn to a veteran arm in Game 1 for the second consecutive season. Matthew Boyd will start Game 1 for Chicago Following the Cubs workout at Petco Park on Monday, Counsell announced that left-hander Matthew Boyd will start Game 1 against the Padres. It will be the second straight season that Boyd has started Game 1 of the wild-card series against San Diego. He put together a solid start in last year's game, going 4 1/3 innings, allowing one run on four hits with two strikeouts.