CLEVELAND (AP) — In an effort to add starting pitching depth, the Cleveland Guardians have agreed to a major league contract — pending a physical — with free agent left-hander Matthew Boyd, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the process could take several days to complete, said the 33-year-old Boyd's deal was contingent on passing medical testing. He had reconstructive elbow surgery last year.
Boyd is very familiar to Cleveland after spending eight seasons with AL Central-rival Detroit.
The Guardians, who opened a four-game set in Kansas City on Thursday, entered the night with an eight-game division lead despite some question marks with their starting staff. They've gotten unexpected production from Ben Lively, who was signed in December, and some of the club's young pitchers such as Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen have performed well.
Triston McKenzie and Carlos Carrasco have struggled at times, and the Guardians are still waiting for Gavin Williams to make his season debut after the hard-throwing right-hander hurt his elbow in training camp.
Boyd, if healthy, would give Cleveland first-year manager Stephen Vogt some protection. He went 5-5 with a 5.45 ERA over 15 starts last season before he was shut down to have surgery two days after his last start. He pitched a career-high 185 1/3 innings for Detroit in 2019, but that was followed by elbow surgery in 2021 and just 13 relief innings for Seattle the next season.
Boyd is 44-67 with a 4.94 ERA in 160 starts since breaking in with Toronto in 2020.
In other roster news Thursday, the Guardians placed outfielder Will Brennan on the injured list retroactive to Tuesday with rib inflammation and recalled infielder José Tena and right-hander Darren McCaughan from Triple-A Columbus.
They had optioned right-hander Xzavion Curry to the same club after Wednesday night's 4-2 loss in Baltimore.
Brennan, who is hitting .256 with eight homers and 24 RBIs, last played on Monday against the Orioles. Vogt said he wanted to play through the sore ribs but that the decision was made for a “three-to-five day shutdown."
“Then hopefully back to baseball activity. It's the right thing to do to make sure we knock this thing out,” Vogt said.
Tena made his big league debut for the Guardians last August, hitting .226 over 18 games covering two stints with the big league club. He began this season at Columbus, where he was hitting .293 with 14 homers and 56 RBIs in 73 games.
“He's going to be a bat off the bench and some speed,” Vogt said. “We've got a lot of versatility. We can do a lot of things.”
McCaughan tossed two scoreless innings of relief for Cleveland earlier this year, then was optioned to Columbus the next day. He was brought back to provide some bullpen depth with just one day off scheduled before the All-Star break.
“We didn't do ourselves any favors right out of the gate with this 13-day stretch. We had to drip into the bullpen,” Vogt said. “It's always tough telling somebody they're going back to Triple-A, especially when they go out and they do their job well. But we need the length and protection and you know, D-Mac is back with us to give us that.”
AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta contributed from Kansas City, Missouri.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
FILE - Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Matthew Boyd throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, June 26, 2023. Looking to add starting pitching depth, the Cleveland Guardians have agreed to a major league contract with Boyd, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero, file)
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Portugal plays Slovenia on Monday in the round of 16 at the European Championship. The game kicks off at 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) at the Waldstadion in Frankfurt. The winner will advance to face Belgium or France in the quarterfinals on Friday. Here's what to know about the match:
— Portugal starts the group stage with wins over the Czech Republic and Turkey, then rests some starters in the third game and loses 2-0. Sound familiar? Portugal started Euro 2008 just as it has 16 years later. Then, Portugal did not get momentum back and was eliminated in the first knockout round — to a Germany team heading to the final. Slovenia is a different kind of test.
— Slovenia will play its first knockout game at a major tournament in 32 years as an independent soccer nation. Slovenia went home after the group stage at Euro 2000, and the World Cups of 2002 and 2010, though only the top two advanced at those tournaments.
— Slovenia started Euro 2024 the same way eventual champion Portugal did in 2016: three straight draws, no wins in the group to advance among the best third-place teams.
— Portugal already has more wins in 90 minutes at this tournament (2) than in its 2016 title-winning campaign (1).
— Frankfurt hosts its fifth and final game and is not a city where favorites thrive. So far here, Belgium lost to Slovakia, England played poorly in a draw against Denmark, and Germany needed a stoppage-time equalizer against Switzerland.
— At the 2022 World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo was dropped to the bench for the round of 16 game that Portugal won 6-1 against Switzerland. His replacement Gonçalo Ramos scored a hat trick. That was by then-coach Fernando Santos. Ronaldo is in better standing with current coach Roberto Martinez and Ramos got just 24 game minutes off the bench so far.
— Josip Iličić has not started a game for Slovenia but the 36-year-old’s return to the national team has been a positive story. The former Atalanta player’s career was derailed by depression he suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Iličić came on as a substitute in the 0-0 draw with England on Tuesday.
— This is the second most lopsided mismatch by FIFA world rankings of the round of 16. There are 51 ranking places between No. 6 Portugal and No. 57 Slovenia but 66 between No. 8 Spain and No. 74 Georgia.
— 2-0. The score Slovenia beat Portugal by in March when they played a friendly in Ljubljana.
— Slovenia lost just once in 15 games over the past year, a 2-1 defeat in Denmark last November in their qualifying group.
— Only Germany had more attempts on goal than Portugal's 54 in the group stage. Only Scotland had fewer than Slovenia's 25. Slovenia star forward Benjamin Šeško had five of those attempts without scoring yet.
— Portugal defender Pepe continues to extend his tournament record as the oldest-ever player. He will be aged 41 years and 126 days on Monday.
— Cristiano Ronaldo, who turned 39 in February, will set the record as the oldest ever scorer if and when he gets his first goal at Euro 2024. The record is held by Luka Modric, scoring against Italy on Monday at age 38 years and 289 days.
— "He’s going to be very good for this knockout phase of the tournament, and I hope — or I’m sure —that he’ll give us a lot of joy.” — Pepe praises Ronaldo
— “Two years ago, we played against Serbia and we lost 4-1 in Belgrade. This was a turning point and since then we’ve only grown as a team.” — Slovenia midfielder Adam Gnezda Čerin
AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban talks with UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin prior to the start of a Group A match between Germany and Hungary at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Slovenia's players celebrate after a Group C match against England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Cologne, Germany, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
England's Marc Guehi, left, and Slovenia's Benjamin Sesko fight for the ball during a Group C match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Cologne, Germany, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
England's Marc Guehi, front, and Slovenia's Josip Ilicic fight for the ball during a Group C match between England and Slovenia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Cologne, Germany, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo gestures after Georgia's Georges Mikautadze scored his side's second goal during a Group F match between Georgia and Portugal at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Slovenia's players celebrate at the end of a Group C match between the England and Slovenia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Cologne, Germany, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, left, and Portugal's Pepe warm up prior of a Group F match between Turkey and Portugal at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
