Chicago Cubs vs. Kansas City Royals preview, Tuesday 7/22, 7:05 CT

Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Tuesday notes...

• OLDER THAN RICH HILL: Rich Hill’s age today is 45 years and 133 days. Only three pitchers have been older when they made a start against the Cubs. Jamie Moyer did it five times, all with the Phillies. He was 47/239 when he made the last of the five, on July 15, 2010. Horace Lisenbee of the Reds was 46/258 when he started for the Reds on June 8, 1945. He held the record for oldest starter to face the Cubs until Moyer started at 47/182 on May 19, 2010. Charlie Hough did it twice. He was 46/128 when he made the second start, in 1994. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE CONTINUES: Matt Shaw, four games since the All-Star break: .545/.545/1.091 (6-for-11) with two home runs.
• THE KELLY FILES: Carson Kelly, last 19 games since June 21: .373/.441/.695 (22-for-59) with seven doubles, four home runs, eight RBI and 10 runs scored.
• THIS DAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Sammy Sosa’s 13th-inning single scored Ricky Gutierrez with the winning run as the Cubs defeated the Brewers 3-2. It happened 25 years ago today, Saturday, July 22, 2000.

Here are today’s particulars.

Cubs lineup:

Boyd day.

Watch tonight's game on the Marquee Sports Network App. pic.twitter.com/pkrf7ske8o

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 22, 2025

Royals lineup:

Round 2 from Wrigley. pic.twitter.com/YeCfsecRbq

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) July 22, 2025

Matthew Boyd, LHP vs. Rich Hill, LHP

Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Dave Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

You all know how good Matthew Boyd has been this year, including his first All-Star nod (even though he had to bow out of pitching in the ASG).

The Cubs, trying to manage his innings, held him back after the break to pitch in this series. This should line him up to start against the Brewers

next week.

Boyd has allowed no runs in three of his last four starts and has a 0.69 ERA and 0.654 WHIP over that span. And, he currently has a 16-inning scoreless streak.

Boyd hasn’t faced the Royals since 2023. The only Royal who’s faced him for more than a handful of at-bats is Salvador Perez (12-for-49, two home runs).

Rich Hill. Wow.

In his rookie year with the Cubs, he was a teammate of Greg Maddux. They pitched in the same game twice, including in Hill’s MLB debut.

Hill was signed by the Royals for... well, I dunno. Depth, I guess. His last good MLB year was... checks notes... 2021, which he split between the Rays and Mets.

When he throws his first pitch tonight he will tie the MLB record for most teams played for, 14, which is held by another ex-Cub, Edwin Jackson. Also, he’s left-handed, and... well, you know what that’s meant for Cubs hitters this year.

He last faced the Cubs in 2023. Here’s that boxscore, for whatever that’s worth.

Hill’s pitch chart below is from last year.

Baseball Savant

Baseball Savant

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. You can find out if Marquee is available via a provider in your area here.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Royals site Royals Review. If you do go there to interact with Royals fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2025 Game Thread procedure will be identical to last year’s.

You’ll find the game preview posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game, including the First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread, as well as the recap when it’s published. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post.

You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread in the box marked “Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at 90 minutes after the scheduled game time.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

More from bleedcubbieblue.com:

• Cubs roster move: Ben Brown recalled, Ethan Roberts optioned
• Three up, three down: An update on the Cubs, July 21 edition
• Cubs vs. Royals Monday 7/21 game threads
• Red Sox 6, Cubs 1: ‘The sun don’t shine on the same dog’s ass every time’
• On The Horizon: Cubs vs. Royals series preview
• Cub Tracks takes it on the chin
• BCB After Dark: What would it take to trade Owen Caissie?