Boyd exorcises demons with gem in Texas

ARLINGTON — The last time Matt Boyd pitched at Globe Life Park, the Rangers roughed him up for six runs and three homers over 2 2/3 innings in his final start of the 2015 season. Afterward, he stood at his locker, answered questions and made a prediction.

“I’m only a fraction of the pitcher that I’m going to be next year,” the Tigers’ left-hander said.

As he stood in front of his locker at the same park on Saturday night, having shut down the Rangers on two hits over seven innings in a 2-0 victory, he had every reason to feel some satisfaction.

“You think of that feeling, and it burns inside your gut,” Boyd said of the previous meeting, “giving up a bunch of runs and not going deep in the game. That outing last year was bad. That was the last one of the season, so it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. But you have to learn from it and grow and move forward, and that’s been a big emphasis this year.”

But, he added after a pause, “It’s still a long way to go.”

What Boyd has done since rejoining the Tigers rotation last month has been quiet dominance. It’s mid-August, with more than six turns left before the season ends. But the way Boyd has pitched in this stretch makes the case that he deserves to see this through.

“That’s as good as I think we’ve seen Matt Boyd,” manager Brad …

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