CHICAGO -- No one knows how long
Boyd’s four-seam fastball averaged 93.2 mph, almost two mph more than his season average.\n\n“I think every outing, the fastball for him is very key. Obviously, everyone talks about the slider, but the fastball sets up the slider,” Tigers catcher John Hicks said. “He had a good one today.”\n\nAs scouts continue to attend Boyd's starts with the July 31 Trade Deadline just four weeks away, his ability to get strikes with all five of his pitches is what has contending teams salivating.\n\nThree years of club control after the 2019 season doesn’t hurt either.\n\nIt was Boyd’s fourth start of 10 or more strikeouts this season and the fifth of his career. It was also the second time this season he’s had double-digit strikeouts in back-to-back starts (March 29 vs. Blue Jays, April 3 vs. Yankees).\n\n“I don’t know about everyone else, but I love it. Makes me feel like I’m calling the right pitch,” Hicks said with a laugh. “He’s been striking out a ton of guys all year. There’s a reason he’s top-five in strikeouts.”\n\nBoyd finishes the first half of the season with 142 strikeouts, the fourth most by a Tigers left-hander since 1933, and the most since Mickey Lolich struck out 156 prior to the All-Star break in ‘72.\n\nBoyd’s 13 strikeouts on Thursday tied him for the most on July 4 in the live-ball era, joining Billy O'Dell, Craig Swan, Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan and Curt Schilling. He also became the first pitcher in the live-ball era with 13 strikeouts and zero walks in an outing of six innings or fewer.\n\n“Really? That’s interesting,” Boyd said of his new milestone. “Hopefully this is the last time I get 13 strikeouts in no walks in less than six innings. Hopefully, next time I get 13 strikeouts and no walks in seven, eight or nine innings.”\n\n**Bats come alive**\n\nUnable to score enough to get rookie Tyler Alexander victory in his Major League debut on Wednesday, the Tigers wouldn’t let Boyd suffer the same fate.\n\nDetroit’s offense picked up where it left off in Game 2 of Wednesday’s doubleheader, as the Tigers were all over White Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez, with the help of homers from
“We used the whole field. We weren’t trying to yank everything,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. “We actually used the whole field and shot the ball the other way. There were a bunch of them going down the right-field line. That’s good hitting. We talk about that a lot and today was one of those good days.”\n\nThe Tigers cranked out 15 hits and scored at least one run in each of the last six innings, putting up 11 runs for just the second time this season. The last time coming in a 12-11 loss to the White Sox on April 26.
**Worth noting**\n\nThe Tigers are placing reliever