Hamels praises Boyd’s ‘devastating’ slider

ARLINGTON — When players on the opposing team offer praise for a starting pitcher, it usually comes from the hitters he faces. Rarely does it come from the opposing starter, who has his own pitching to worry about. Yet some of the best words about Matt Boyd’s outing came from Cole Hamels, the better-known starter on the mound at Globe Life Park on Saturday night.

Hamels compared Boyd’s approach, attacking the strike zone, to that of his old Phillies teammate, Cliff Lee. But he directed his highest praise at Boyd’s putaway pitch of the evening.

“He has a great slider,” Hamels said. “That slider is a devastating pitch, and he definitely showed that with how he was throwing it.”

Considering where Boyd stood with that pitch a year …

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