After rehab stint with Rainiers, Boyd joins hometown M’s. Tacoma splits weeklong series

There’s no other place Matthew Boyd would want to be this September – pitching for his hometown Seattle Mariners.

Boyd grew up like many others in the late ‘90s, a Mariners fan from Mercer Island, later attending Eastside Catholic High School in Sammamish. Toronto scooped Boyd out of the 2013 MLB Draft in the sixth round, but Seattle’s front office occasionally checked in on the southpaw’s trade availability as Boyd’s career took him to Detroit (2015-21) and San Francisco (2022).

Perhaps jokingly, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said last month: “We made it a priority today to acquire all the lifelong fans of the Mariners to try to be with us as we attempt to break the 20-year playoff drought.” He did so hours before the Aug. 2 trade deadline, acquiring both Boyd and catcher Curt Casali from the Giants for pitching prospect Michael Stryffeler and minor league catcher Andy Thomas.

Boyd was back with his local team.

“I might have to change my phone number, because everyone back home is so excited,” he said with a smile after reporting to the Mariners earlier in the week. “Everyone’s backing the Mariners now, and it’s really, really cool.

“This is just unreal. I dreamed about putting on this uniform. I’m getting chills thinking about it.”

While with San Francisco, the 31-year-old southpaw underwent forearm flexor surgery and was placed on the 60-day injured list by the Giants on March 27. His first game action since September 2021 would come across six rehab outings with the Triple-A Rainiers, as Boyd geared up for a return to the major leagues on Sept. 1.

“It’s a long process,” he said. “It’s never ... it’s not linear. I mean, this is my first time on the IL, really, so the rehab process had its ups and downs. That was unique, and it takes patience, but it produces perseverance, right? And that stands strong. I’m grateful for it.

“I don’t know why (the injury) happened, you know? I’ll figure that out someday, but I don’t question why. … Because everything that’s come from it has been a blessing. In the year that we’ve had our third and fourth kids, I got to rehab in San Francisco and stayed home every day and got to be with our infant twins ... that was really, really special.”

Boyd considered his primary objectives throughout his Triple-A rehab assignment to be “multi-faceted,” hoping to “knock the rust off” after a nearly a year away from game action. His new club expected a new role, as Boyd, historically a starter, reported to Seattle’s bullpen.

“It’s getting into game situations and facing hitters. It’s adapting to get loose in the bullpen,” he said. “You know, throwing before the game and then getting loose during the game. That’s something different.”

Boyd also modified his changeup, mainly altering “how it comes out of (his) hands’‘ in comparison to his four-seam fastball. That’s to protect Boyd’s forearm from re-injury. He considers himself a “better version of himself in 2019,” when he threw a career 185-1/3 innings and went 9-12 with a 4.56 ERA with Detroit.

His arsenal remains the same in 2022 – excluding the delivery tweak of his changeup – mixing in five pitches. Boyd wowed Tacoma manager Tim Federowicz in his first appearance out of the Rainier bullpen on Aug. 13, striking out two and posting a clean seventh inning over Triple-A Las Vegas at Cheney Stadium.

“He was able to get ready in just half an inning and go out there and throw strikes and still have his good stuff,” Federowicz said Saturday. “It was fun to watch.

“He’s always been a really, really good pitcher.”

Across Boyd’s six relief outings with the Rainiers, five were scoreless. He threw eight total innings, surrendering two earned runs, and held opposing hitters to a .143 average. He struck out 14 and walked none.

Seattle’s bullpen lacked a lefty before Boyd’s arrival despite sporting baseball’s seventh-best team ERA (3.31) and second-best WHIP (1.08). A veteran starter, Boyd will provide extended relief innings. His next appearance at T-Mobile Park will be his first as a Mariner.

On Sept. 1, the Mariners reinstated Boyd from the 60-day injured list and recalled outfielder Taylor Trammell from Triple-A Tacoma as major league rosters expanded from 26 players to 28.

His first Mariners appearance? At Comerica Park in Detroit, against his former Tigers team.

“Getting outs is the name of the game right? I’m excited about that,” Boyd said. “That’s my role, to get outs wherever they ask me to do it, whether it’s first or the ninth, or anywhere in between.”

Speaking with reporters in Detroit, Boyd paused. His last time at Comerica Park was to depart for surgery.

“It’s odd,” he said. “It is odd. … But man, I’m so grateful to be here.”

Boyd took the mound for Seattle in Thursday’s finale with the Tigers, posting a scoreless eighth inning of relief en route to a 7-0 win and series sweep. He’s excited about how his body “bounced back” throughout his time in Tacoma, and he could very well become an important piece for Seattle’s bullpen throughout a competitive playoff run.

Boyd appeared again Sunday in Cleveland, navigating around automatic Guardians baserunner Amed Rosario in the 10th inning and pushing Seattle’s eventual win to the 11th. Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford later drove home the winning run on an RBI single, and catcher Cal Raleigh provided insurance with a two-run homer, his 22nd of the season.

“We have tonight,” he said in Detroit. “We have the day after that. A month-plus of baseball needs to be done. Everyone knows how special (a playoff berth) would be for the Northwest ... but we’ve got to take care of business today and tomorrow. My goal is just to be a small part of this big machine that’s going on.”

SERIES RECAP

Tacoma split a six-game set at Cheney Stadium with Triple-A Sacramento throughout the week. Here’s a more-detailed look at the highlights:

▪ TUESDAY: Justus Sheffield surrendered three runs over six innings, but Tacoma’s offense propelled the Rainiers to an 8-5 win in the series opener. Outfielder Kyle Lewis homered – both he and outfielder Jarred Kelenic plated a pair of runs.

▪ WEDNESDAY: It was a wild one. Tacoma manager Tim Federowicz called it “deflating.”

Tacoma’s six-run first inning evaporated by the third, where Sacramento posted seven runs. After four innings at Cheney Stadium, Tacoma led 11-10.

That score remained until the ninth, when the River Cats pounced for two runs and stole a 12-11 victory. The teams combined for 29 hits.

“That was just one of those games,” Federowicz continued. “I mean, as an offense, we came out swinging. Unfortunately, our pitching couldn’t do the same for us, shutting them down.

“It’s deflating as an offense after you score 10 runs, and they come back and score nine. It was a tight game. It shouldn’t have been, but it was.”

Evan White went 4-for-5 with four RBI, adding to a respectable campaign in recent weeks. The 2020 Gold Glover is slashing .271/.368/.712 in 17 games since returning from a series of hip setbacks.

“I think it’s him playing more,” Federowicz said. “He’s getting more pitches on a day-to-day basis, and he’s able to get his timing back, and his rhythm. He’s been putting together some really good at-bats.”

▪ THURSDAY: Kyle Lewis mashed a first-inning home run, though it marked the end of Tacoma’s offensive production. Eight Rainier pitchers combined for 13 hits and 10 walks in a 10-1 loss – four allowed earned runs.

“I think in the last 3 days, we have had close to 20 walks,” Federowicz said. Tacoma pitchers allowed 33 free passes in six games with Triple-A Sacramento.

“That’s not a recipe for wins.”

▪ FRIDAY: Mason McCoy was the hero, launching a go-ahead grand slam to right field in the seventh inning of a 6-3 win. Matt Koch and Nick Ramirez posted scoreless innings of relief, helping even the series at two wins apiece.

“That was a great swing. Perfect timing,” Federowicz said of his shortstop. “He’s been playing so well for us lately. His defense, I mean, he’s up over 20 runs saved so far this year, and we’ve still got a month left. He’s been doing some special stuff.”

Luis Torrens made his first professional start at second base, despite catching in recent years for Seattle. Familiar with multiple infield positions in younger years, Torrens requested the opportunity, if a spot opened.

“He’s always in my ear about (it),” Federowicz said. “Mason (McCoy) was out for a few days, and we needed to give (Jonathan) Villar a break, and it kind of lined up perfectly for him.”

The first ball that bounced Torrens’ way was an eighth-inning, high-chopping grounder in the shallow infield, which bounced off his palm. He turned and fired an off-balance-yet-accurate throw to Evan White at first, impressing Federowicz in the process.

“That’s a tough play, especially throwing from that angle,” said Federowicz. “Being a catcher myself, I don’t know if I could get down that low and make that throw. It’s a testament to him.”

▪ SATURDAY: Kyle Lewis homered again, posting a team-high three RBI in a 10-5 victory. His first-inning blast scored Evan White and provided instant run support for starter Austin Warner, who allowed five across 6-2/3 innings.

Lewis is still “managing some of the soreness in his legs and doing a great job of it,” Federowicz said Saturday. Daily reps and a spike in at-bats are the remedy for the 2020 AL Rookie of the Year, as they were for White.

Lewis slashed .467/.600/1.067 in five games throughout Tacoma’s series with Sacramento, tallying three homers and seven RBI. He was named Pacific Coast League Player of the Week on Monday afternoon.

“He’s spent so much time (out), just like Evan,” Federowicz said. “It’s important for them to get at-bats. It’s not easy to come back from that long of an absence.”

Four Rainiers homered Saturday – Lewis, White, Kelenic, and catcher Brian O’Keefe. Seven Rainiers logged a hit.

“I think it’s their will to win. I think they want to win,” Federowicz said. “It’s tough to find sometimes at the Triple-A level … guys that can really lock it in late in games to push across that winning run. And I think we’ve done a really good job creating a culture of winning.”

▪ SUNDAY: Tacoma starter Darren McCaughan delivered six strong innings, surrendering just two runs, but Sacramento escaped with a 2-1 victory and managed a series split. Torrens lifted a solo homer in the eighth, ending the rally.

The loss dropped the Rainiers to 60-69, tied for third in the Pacific Coast League West with Triple-A Salt Lake. Tacoma began their season 9-23, but is 51-46 in 97 contests since.

SHORT HOPS

▪ Tacoma leads all of Triple-A baseball with 165 stolen bases. Outfielder Forrest Wall swiped his 39th base Sunday – his next would mark the club’s first 40-stolen-base season since Lance Blankenship of the 1988 Tacoma Tigers (Oakland affiliate).

▪ Single-A Modesto’s Cole Young demolished a baseball into the parking lot outside Chukchansi Park in Fresno on Sunday, good for his first professional home run in a 12-0 win. Young, a 19-year-old shortstop, was selected by the Mariners in the first round of July’s draft.

Seattle selected third baseman Tyler Locklear in the second round, who mashed another pair of homers in the contest. The duo of draft selections were a combined 6-for-9 on Sunday, mashing three homers with four total RBI. Locklear added a walk.

ON TAP

Tacoma departs for a two-city, 12-game road trip on Monday, first to Oklahoma City for six with the Triple-A Dodgers. That series begins Tuesday, with first pitch scheduled for 5:05 p.m. PT.

The Rainiers receive Sept. 12 off and start a six-game set at Triple-A Las Vegas on Sept. 13. Tacoma returns to Cheney Stadium on Sept. 20.