Detroit Tigers: Boyd has shaky past against Pittsburgh

The Detroit Tigers open a two-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park on Tuesday night.

Detroit’s Matt Boyd is scheduled to start Tuesday’s series opener against the Pirates. Boyd has looked to be in top form for the Detroit Tigers for much of the time he’s spent on the mound so far in 2019. However, looking at Boyd’s career numbers vs. Pittsburgh brings up some unflattering stats. Let’s take a look into Matt Boyd’s career stats against the Pirates and if his current form can bring him redemption.

Matt Boyd vs. Pittsburgh- A History

In his career, Matt Boyd has made just two starts against Pittsburgh, both of those for Detroit in 2017 and 2018. It is a small sample size to look at, but his largest ERA against a single team that he has made multiple starts against does belong to Pittsburgh at 10.57. That ERA of over ten comes from just under eight innings total pitched in his career against the Pirates.

In his 2017 start, Boyd was given the loss after surrendering six runs on nine hits to the Pirates in just four innings pitched. 2018 did not offer much improvement, giving up four runs on seven hits in just three and 2/3 innings. Again, these two starts are a small sample size, but it is interesting to see if Boyd can use his recent form to right the ship, or if the Pirates truly just have his number.

Will Tuesday Bring Improvement?

In three starts so far this season, Matt Boyd has looked at times unstoppable. In fact, Boyd currently leads the entire MLB in strikeouts per nine innings averaging 15.058. That mark is largely due to his impressive 23 Ks in just his first two starts alone. In his two career starts against Pittsburgh, Boyd has just eight combines punch outs.

With Jordan Zimmermann struggling in recent starts and Matt Moore set to be out for longer than initially expected, it is key for Boyd to stay in peak form as long as possible. Baseball may be one of the toughest things to predict on the planet, but if his recent performances have shown us anything, it is that Boyd’s momentum should be enough to exercise his past demons against Pittsburgh and have a strong showing against the men in black and yellow once and for all on Tuesday night.

How do you think Matt Boyd will perform against Pittsburgh? Does he have the juice to finally get over the past? Let us know in the comments section down below.