The Washington Nationals got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead on the Chicago Cubs in the second inning of Opening Day.
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The Cubs struck back in the third, taking a 2-1 lead on a single by Pete Crow-Armstrong that allowed Michael Busch to score.
But the fourth inning was a disaster for starting pitcher Matthew Boyd, who allowed four runs before Ben Brown came into relieve him with two outs. Brown gave up a two-run shot by Nationals center fielder Jacob Young, allowing Washington to take a convincing 7-2 lead before the Cubs’ next at-bat.
During his postgame news conference, Boyd told the media he felt like he was in a rhythm early, but didn’t make an adjustment when he needed to in the fourth inning.
“Was executing pitches and one whatnot, then just fourth inning,” Boyd said, via Marquee Sports Network. “Honestly, I just needed to make an adjustment faster and that, you know, I wasn’t able to. And, you know, that’s kind of the story of the game.
“Unfortunately, that was the difference maker that gave them a big enough lead to kind of roll with it. And that’s on me. I got to make an adjustment faster, and, you know, I’ll be better from it. But yeah, it’s unfortunate.”
A rough start for the Chicago Cubs
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Boyd allowed six hits and six earned runs in 3.2 innings pitched. He struck out seven batters and walked one batter.
Washington outhit the Cubs 11-8. The Cubs only earned four runs in a 10-4 loss to Washington in front of 39,712 fans at Wrigley Field on Thursday.
The Cubs lost their first game of the season in 2025 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Japan. The team still made the playoffs.
But Thursday’s loss shows how much work the Cubs have to do to compete for a postseason appearance in 2026.
Chicago will next host Washington on Saturday.
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