Matthew Boyd was a bright spot in what turned out to be a very dark day on the mound for the Cubs.

Boyd settled in to his first start nicely, throwing five shutout innings and striking out five Diamondbacks in the process.

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The 34-year-old was in line for the win after home runs from Dansby Swanson, Seiya Suzuki and Kyle Tucker, but the Cubs’ bullpen struggled with command and allowed Arizona to come back with an eight-run frame in the bottom of the eighth inning. The 10-6 final score meant the Diamondbacks salvaged a split in the domestic opening series as the Cubs’ record moved to 2-4 on the season.

The southpaw Boyd had Arizona’s sluggers fooled with his off-speed pitches, allowing zero extra-base hits. Even Eugenio Suárez, who hit four home runs over the series, could not manage a hit against the lefty.

“It’s a good lineup. They battled. We kind of went in with a plan to constantly mix against them,” Boyd said. “Miggy (Amaya) called a great game back there. They had some long at-bats that in hindsight I wish I could have shortened up and gone deeper in the game, but, Miggy was awesome.”

The Cubs signed Boyd to a 2-year, $29 million deal in December, hoping to add veteran depth to the starting rotation. Boyd had a strong 2024 with the Cleveland Guardians, posting a 2.72 ERA in 39.2 innings of work.

Craig Counsell said pregame that he hoped Boyd would be a “stabilizing force” in the Cubs’ rotation.

“When he’s pitched, he’s been really effective, and we’re hoping that he’s set up for a healthy season,” Counsell said.

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When asked about the veteran lefty’s outing, Counsell complimented Boyd on how much he froze Arizona’s hitters for most of the game.

“It was a wonderful job of keeping hitters off balance,” Counsell said. “The change in speeds had them almost on the defensive, and he did a great job of keeping them off balance with the three main pitches, and it was a job well done.”

The Cubs now head to Sacramento to begin a three-game series with the Athletics on Monday. The home opener for the Cubs kicks off on Friday with the San Diego Padres strolling into town.