Matthew Boyd was the right call as Cubs' NLDS Game 1 starter despite disaster

There's no two ways around it: the Chicago Cubs got absolutely destroyed by the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the NLDS.

After a Wild Card Series in which they let up just five runs in three games to the San Diego Padres, the Brewers got to starter Matthew Boyd and reliever Michael Soroka for six runs in the first inning of the Divisional Round. The two pitchers combined to toss 1 2/3 innings, allowing nine runs (five earned), effectively putting the game out of reach right off the bat.

Boyd, in particular, was terrible. Starting on short rest, the southpaw gave up three straight doubles to start the contest, ultimately recording just two outs before Craig Counsell decided he had seen enough.

After the game, Counsell defended his decision to start Boyd, though nothing he could have said would have made the call seem right in the aftermath of such a beatdown.

And yet... starting Boyd was indeed the right call, at least in the context of a five-game series.

Matthew Boyd's ugly Game 1 start could yield some series-long benefits for the Cubs

Look, none of the Cubs' options were perfect for Game 1.

Boyd, pitching on short rest after allowing one run in 4 1/3 innings against the Padres, has been the team's best pitcher all year, but he had allowed nine runs in 10 1/3 innings in two starts against the Crew during the regular season.

Beyond him, the choices were Colin Rea (who instead was stashed in the bullpen), Javier Assad (who didn't even make the roster), Ben Brown (who shockingly did make the roster) or Aaron Civale (who saved the bullpen by pitching 4 1/3 scoreless innings in the blowout).

I don't know about you, but none of those options give me more faith over the staff ace with a career 1.10 ERA in the postseason prior to this start.

It's also important to keep in mind that Boyd only threw 58 pitches in Game 1 of the Wild Card Round; he may have been pitching on short rest against the Brewers, but his recent workload has been far from taxing.

I'd also be remiss not to remind everyone that this is a five-game series. Given their Game 1 options, the Cubs were always going to be on the short end of the stick against a well-rested Freddy Peralta. Pitching Boyd in Game 1 realigns the rotation, and thanks to the copious amount of days off in the schedule, the Cubs can keep their playoff rotation contained to just their top three starters (Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon).

So yes, the Boyd experiment in Game 1 failed spectacularly. The usually-patient Brewers brought out a perfect, aggressive attack plan to chase him from the game right away. But, don't lose sight of the fact that the Cubs bit the bullet, and now have their preferred options ready to roll through the rest of the series.