Chicago Cubs at Kansas City Royals

Cubs manager Craig Counsell has acknowledged that plenty of his players have been feeling the compounding effect of playing 17 games in a row with no off-days at this point in the season. That has added another layer to just how well the North Siders have been playing of late. “These are always challenging stretches,” Counsell said. “There’s days you go in and you’re really worried about everything. There’s days you go in and think you feel pretty good. The starting pitching has been a big reason why we’ve been able to get through it.” That held true on Sunday, when Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd authored seven solid innings to lay the foundation for a 10-2 win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. That continued a strong run of outings for Chicago’s starting corps, which has helped the ballclub piece together a 12-5 record in the 17 days leading into Monday’s team off-day. “It speaks to the quality of this group,” Boyd said. “I think our best baseball is still ahead of us. We’re playing great right now as a squad collectively. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a lot of fun to be in this clubhouse, a lot of fun to be a Cubbie. We’re excited for what’s ahead.” Here were three keys to Sunday’s win in Kansas City: **1\. Boyd keeps cruising** The further removed Boyd gets from the left knee surgery he underwent in May, the more the veteran lefty looks like the All-Star and rotation leader that helped guide the Cubs to the playoffs a year ago. That was the case again at Kauffman Stadium, where Boyd limited the Royals to two runs -- both via a homer from Starling Marte in the fourth -- over seven innings. Boyd scattered five hits and issued three walks, but he navigated his way out of the handful of jams encountered deeper into his outing. “He did a really nice job,” Counsell said. “And he’s been pitching so well since he’s come off the injured list and really been a big boost to what we’ve done in the starting rotation.” Overall, Boyd improved to 8-1 on the year with a 3.50 ERA for the North Siders, but he has been particularly strong since returning from the injured list in late June. In nine outings since being activated, the left-hander has gone 6-0 with a 2.43 ERA for the Cubs, who have posted an 8-1 record in those games. Boyd has also been a key part of a strong stretch for the Cubs’ rotation as a whole. Dating back to July 4, Chicago’s starters have combined for a National League-leading 2.91 ERA. The 176 1/3 innings logged by the Cubs’ rotation in that time period ranks