2 reasons Cubs fans should want Matthew Boyd to start Game 4 and 1 reason they shouldn't

With their season on the line, the Chicago Cubs are turning to their All-Star left-hander Matthew Boyd, who was announced as the team's Game 4 starter on Thursday morning.

The announcement drew a wide range of reactions, ranging from excitement to dread, with those feeling skeptical still feeling shell-shocked from his NLDS Game 1 blow-up against the Milwaukee Brewers last weekend, in which he failed to escape the first inning in a lopsided 9-3 loss.

A win in Game 4 would force a winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday at American Family Field. With virtually all of their high-leverage arms forced into action Wednesday night, a strong start from Boyd could be the difference between the Cubs living to fight another day and closing the book on the 2025 campaign.

2 reasons Cubs fans should want Matthew Boyd to start NLDS Game 4

Matthew Boyd has been locked in at Wrigley Field this season

The biggest reason to be confident in Boyd taking the ball in Game 4 is his performance in home starts this year. The southpaw went 12-1 with a 2.51 ERA in 15 Wrigley Field starts, well outpacing his 4.63 ERA away from the Friendly Confines. He's looked extremely comfortable at home, and the hope is, with something to prove and a chip on his shoulder, Boyd can deliver in the biggest start of his career.

His last time out against Milwaukee at Wrigley came back on Aug. 19, when he tossed 5 1/3 innings of four-run ball in a 6-4 Cubs win. Craig Counsell would surely take that effort again, but would need more from his offense, which hasn't scored more than four runs in a game since Sept. 27.

He and the Cubs will have made adjustments since Game 1

Let's be clear. You don't have the type of nightmare start Boyd turned in last time out and just run it back and hope for the best without looking at where it all went wrong. Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy has no doubt gone through tape with his lefty and dialed in on what adjustments need to be made heading into a pivotal Game 4.

Hottovy is one of the best pitching coaches in the league and Boyd is a seasoned veteran who has overcome a lot and demonstrated the ability to continuously tweak and improve over the years. You have to have faith that he can make those changes and deliver with the season on the line.

1 reason Cubs fans should not want Matthew Boyd to start NLDS Game 4

The Milwaukee Brewers have had no problem getting to Boyd this year. Game 1 aside, he made two regular-season starts against Pat Murphy's club and was torched to the tune of a 7.84 ERA (9 ER in 10.1 IP). Chicago managed to win one of those games (the aforementioned Aug. 19 start) but Boyd's other start against them in Milwaukee left much to be desired (5 IP, 5 ER).

It hasn't even been a week since Counsell made the walk out to the mound after Boyd recorded just two outs in the bottom of the first. That memory is certainly fresh in the minds of fans and you can't blame them for being cautious as they count down till first pitch on Thursday night.