Boyd allowed four earned runs on nine hits across five innings in a no-decision Wednesday against the Royals. He struck out six against zero walks.

EDGE Analysis

Boyd had a similar line to his first start of the season, when he also allowed four earned runs across five innings. Like in that outing, the lefty struggled early against Kansas City, as the Royals did all of their damage in the first three innings before Boyd recorded two scoreless innings to end his night. The silver lining Tuesday was that Boyd had more swing-and-miss stuff, as he only recorded two strikeouts in his last start. Boyd will look to pitch better early in the game his next time out Monday against the Cardinals.

Boyd (0-1) allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two over five innings in a loss to the Reds on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

This line is disappointing and it could have been worse. Boyd allowed five straight hitters to reach base -- walk, single, HBP, HBP, single -- before he recorded his first out. The lefty managed to limit the damage to two runs in that first inning, but he later gave up a homer to Joey Votto and the swing-and-miss stuff was just not there in this one. Fortunately, Boyd is in good position to bounce back with a home start against Kansas City next on the docket.

Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire said that Boyd will be the team's Opening Day starter, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Boyd missed an intrasquad outing Tuesday, noting that he was kept out of the stadium due to testing protocol. There was some thought that this delay in his throwing schedule could make him unavailable for Opening Day, but the lefty said he'd pitch on short rest next week to get back on track for the July 24 opener.

Boyd was slated to pitch in an intrasquad game Tuesday but said he "wasn't allowed to come into the field" due to testing protocols, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Tuesday was 10 days before Opening Day for the Tigers, so it was expected that Boyd would pitch to stay lined up for the first game of the season. This explains why he didn't make an appearance, though it's a bit unclear why specifically he was banned from entering the park. The lefty said he would throw on short rest next week, which would put him back on track for the opener.

Boyd is scheduled to pitch in Wednesday's intrasquad game for the Tigers, which could put him out of the mix for a start on Opening Day, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Had Boyd pitched in Tuesday's intrasquad game, he would have lined up to throw again five days later, on July 19, and then have another five days before Opening Day on July 24. However, the Tigers elected to not use Boyd Tuesday, so either they have a slightly different schedule planned for the lefty or they don't intend to start him in the opener. Manager Ron Gardenhire has not formally named an Opening Day starter, though the assumption heading into summer camp was that Boyd would get the nod. Whether he starts in the first game or not, Boyd figures to be the team's ace this year, and he should rack up plenty of strikeouts even if wins are hard to come by on what is projected to be a rebuilding club.

Tigers pitching coach Rick Anderson said he expects Boyd and the other four members of the Detroit rotation to be stretched out to 75-to-80 pitches by Opening Day, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

EDGE Analysis

That sort of pitch count would put Boyd in line for roughly five innings in his first start, keeping him on track to handle close to a normal workload in his subsequent turns thereafter. Boyd will continue to use summer camp to build up his pitch count, though he had already kept his arm conditioned during MLB's hiatus by tossing about one simulated game per week. Before the league-wide shutdown in spring training, Boyd had been working to make more use of his changeup and curveball as part of a four-pitch mix this season after leaning on the offerings only 6.1 and 4.0 percent of the time, respectively, in 2019 (per FanGraphs).

Boyd said he's thrown one simulated game per week during the layoff to stay ready for game action, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Boyd added that he recently got up to five innings of work. The lefty can now set his sights toward Opening Day, which is slated for about a month from now following a second spring training in early July. Detroit and other MLB teams are likely to be cautious with their starters to begin the abbreviated season, so Boyd may not go past five innings on the mound anytime soon.

Boyd said he plans on getting stronger in the weight room while spring training is suspended and his throwing program is interrupted, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

EDGE Analysis

Boyd has remained at the Tigers' facility in Lakeland, Fla., and tried to look on the bright side of the delay, calling it an "awesome opportunity for us to get even stronger." The lefty struggled a bit down the stretch last season after a strong start, so perhaps the emphasis on strength training could help with his endurance whenever the 2020 campaign resumes.

Boyd, who allowed just one run across 4.1 innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, has a 1.93 ERA this spring.

EDGE Analysis

Boyd has looked like the staff leader the Tigers need him to be. He did at times last year, too, as the lefty had a 2.85 ERA through the first two months of the season. However, Boyd struggled some after that and ultimately finished with a 4.56 ERA. The 29-year-old has elite strikeout potential, but he's yet to have a true breakout campaign.

Boyd took the loss in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, allowing a solo home run and a walk across two innings of work. He struck out three.

EDGE Analysis

The outing was a microcosm of Boyd's 2019 campaign, as he gave up plenty of home runs (39, second most in the league) but also racked up the strikeouts (238 in 185.1 innings pitched). The southpaw continues to show glimpses of brilliance, but he's yet to sustain it across a full season. He'll line up as Detroit's unquestioned ace heading into 2020 and will look to improve his consistency on the mound.