Tolle struggles to miss bats in loss

What a start. Tolle retired the first 16 batters he faced in order and there was that little twinge in the back of your neck that this could’ve been a really special outing. Then, a Spencer Jones flare turned into a single and this just wound up as a run-of-the-mill gem. Oftentimes leaning on his fantastic four-seamer, Tolle let that pitch take a back seat here as he featured his cutter more than usual. He also pulled out his curveball sparingly, but it forced some ugly swings when he spotted it. Aggression, precision, bravado, he had it all going in this start. Through 71 1/3 innings this season, he has 69 strikeouts, 20 walks, and a 2.78 ERA. Next up, he’s scheduled to face the Nationals at home.

Tolle struck out six and walked two on the day, but two of his four hits allowed were solo home runs. The left-hander threw 69 percent of his pitches for strikes while posting an 11 percent swinging strike rate and 29 percent CSW. His typically dominant four-seamer had just a nine percent swinging strike rate against right-handed hitters on the day, but his secondary pitches were solid enough to keep this game from getting away from him. That makes this a modestly confidence-inducing start heading into a good matchup against a banged-up Mariners offense in Seattle on Sunday.

Tolle clearly didn’t have his best stuff in this one, but still managed to grind out six frames anyway, needing 94 pitches (71 strikes) in the process. All of the damage came against him in the fourth inning when Cedric Mullins, Ben Williamson and Nick Fortes delivered run-scoring hits. He finished with three strikeouts and only issued one walk. The 23-year-old top prospect has been excellent overall this season, delivering a strong 2.70 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 54/14 K/BB ratio across 53 1/3 innings over nine starts. He’ll square off against the Blue Jays at Fenway Park his next time out on Tuesday.

Tolle allowed seven hits and two walks in the outing but most importantly kept Baltimore off the scoreboard. He threw a career-high 99 pitches, lowering his ERA to 2.28 for the season. The rookie southpaw continues to impress with a fastball-heavy approach, including his new sinker. He next lines up for a road matchup in Tampa Bay.

The 23-year-old hurler scattered five hits on the night while issuing a pair of free passes. All of the damage done against him came in the fourth inning on a pair of RBI singles by Jorge Mateo and Dominic Smith. He piled up 18 swings and misses on 94 offerings on the night — 11 of those on his fastball — while registering a CSW of 24 percent. He’ll attempt to get back in the win column as he carries a brilliant 2.61 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and a 46/11 K/BB ratio (41 1/3 innings) into Wednesday’s matchup against the Orioles.

After retiring all three batters he faced in the first inning, Tolle allowed five-straight batters to reach base to start the second inning, with Ryan Kriedler and Luke Keaschall driving in runs to cut the Red Sox’s lead to 4-2. After striking out Alex Jackson, Tolle would allow an RBI single to Byron Buxton to give the Twins their third and final run of the frame. Despite the rough start, Tolle would settle in to pitch five straight scoreless innings before being pulled to start the seventh. Tolle’s nine strikeouts are good for his second-highest total in any game this season, and he has now allowed three earned runs or fewer in every outing. His next start is scheduled for Thursday at home against the Braves.

Tolle needed just 85 pitches to get 24 outs tonight, finishing with four hits allowed, one walk and three strikeouts. He gave up a 421-foot homer to Drake Baldwin and had two flyouts that projected as homers in 15 and five ballparks, according to Statcast. Still, it was a pretty impressive showing, especially because he averaged the same 96.5 mph with his fastball in the eighth that he did in the first. Tolle is 2-2 with a 2.05 ERA through five turns, and he’ll be a worthy mixed-league play next week against the Twins.

The 23-year-old southpaw struck out four batters on the day and didn’t allow a free pass. He served up a solo homer to Junior Caminero on an 0-2 pitch in the opening inning then then the Rays scratched out a pair of runs against him in the third inning. Tolle got 12 whiffs on 81 pitches on the day — seven on his fastball — while posting a CSW of 25 percent. He’ll carry a terrific 2.78 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and a 27/6 K/BB ratio (22 2/3 innings) into a tough matchup against the Braves in Atlanta on Sunday.

That’s all Boston has announced so far. Brayan Bello was slated to start Sunday, but since the club has Monday off, it’s possible he could be pushed back further than Tuesday.

The official announcement came just minutes before first pitch at Fenway Park. The two teams ultimately decided not to start up the contest and risk a washout by the middle innings based on the local forecast. It’ll be made up as a doubleheader on July 17. It’s a tough break for Payton Tolle’s fantasy managers as it was setting up as an extremely favorable matchup for Boston’s top pitching prospect. The 23-year-old southpaw will presumably be pushed back to Sunday instead, and could theoretically operate in a tandem role with Brayan Bello. We’ll see. Nick Martinez, today’s scheduled starter, will pitch Sunday for the Rays.