Matthew Boyd Is Emerging as the Ace the Cubs Need for a Playoff Run

There can be little doubt that the Chicago Cubs are one of the best teams in baseball in 2026 and have a legitimate chance to make noise in the National League playoff picture.

Entering play on Monday, the Cubs sit at 69-50, 5.5 games back in the NL Central but firmly holding an NL Wild Card spot, 6.0 games ahead of the rest of the pack. The Cubs are much closer to the likes of the Dodgers, Brewers, and Braves than they are to the rest of the National League playoff teams. But the key for them down the stretch, and certainly in a playoff series, will be their starting pitching.

Injuries have spoiled what could have been the best team in baseball with a fully healthy pitching staff. Cade Horton and Justin Steele are both done for the year. Ben Brown shined with a 1.85 ERA through 68 innings but is now on the 60-day IL with a neck strain. Edward Cabrera is on the IL and has not pitched for the Cubs since June 23.

Then you have Jameson Taillon and his 5.92 ERA, which got him designated for assignment and traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, and Colin Rea's 4.59 ERA being one of the worst among qualified starting pitchers.

It's no mystery why Jed Hoyer made multiple deals at the MLB trade deadline, landing right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes from the New York Mets and right-handed pitcher Kevin Gausman from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Both of those guys will be massive for the Cubs down the stretch. Chicago will need them at their best in any postseason series if it has any hope of a World Series run. But we'd also be foolish to ignore the Cubs' need for a true number one starting pitcher. A playoff series in the National League could mean matching up with Jacob Misiorowski, Chris Sale, or Tarik Skubal in Game 1. The Cubs need a starting pitcher they can trust to keep them in those games.

Fortunately, Matthew Boyd is looking like that guy once again after returning from the IL.

Boyd had a 6.00 ERA through his first five starts of the season. Surgery on his left knee at the start of May, followed by multiple setbacks, kept Boyd out for the majority of the season. He took his lumps even after returning at the end of June. But over his last seven starts, dating back to the beginning of July, Boyd has looked like the ace the Cubs need him to be.

While he may not dominate the opposition quite like Skubal, Misiorowski, or Sale, he currently looks like a pitcher who will give the Cubs a chance to win no matter the opponent. That's all Cubs fans could ask for right now.

Boyd has gone at least six innings in seven straight starts and has a 2.35 ERA during that stretch. If you expand that to his last 10 starts, Boyd has a 2.48 ERA and a 7-0 record, while the Cubs are 9-1 when he takes the ball.

That stretch includes a win over the Dodgers.

That's what you want from your top starting pitcher in a playoff situation, or even during a tight division race in the final months of the year. Get deep into the ballgame and throw quality innings. Boyd seems to be doing exactly that.

There's also a chance his meniscus surgery from earlier this season turns out to be a blessing for the Cubs. Last year, Boyd was one of the many Cubs starting pitchers who appeared to be wearing down by the time the playoffs arrived. With his season innings total sitting at 79.2 right now, that's unlikely to be the case as the Cubs march toward October.

Matthew Boyd might be the key to a Cubs playoff run. Chicago needs him to pitch like an ace. If the last six weeks are any indication, Boyd seems up for the job.