Red Sox Top Prospect Struggles In Second Straight Appearance

Payton Tolle took the mound for the Boston Red Sox on Thursday against the Athletics for his third career start. He threw two innings and allowed two runs on three hits.

Entering the game, the plan was for Tolle to go through the A’s lineup one time. He was working on four days’ rest for the first time, and the Red Sox want to protect his arm as he’s sped through the minor leagues.

Still, the outing wasn’t what Tolle wanted. Two of the three hits he allowed were home runs, and his command was once again inconsistent. He spotted his cutter better than he did in his previous outing, but his fastball found the middle of the plate too often. It was his second straight shaky outing.

Two of his mistakes were taken out of the park. Shea Langeliers took a belt-high cutter over the fence, while Nick Kurtz hit a middle-middle fastball to left field. The lefty didn’t walk anyone, but he threw too many pitches over the heart of the plate and was punished for it.

“It was disappointing. Never want to go out there and [do poorly],” Tolle said after the game.

On the bright side, the metrics on Tolle’s four-seam fastball have stayed consistent through three starts. He’s creating good horizontal movement from a low arm slot that will help the pitch miss bats. Once he starts throwing the pitch to the top of the zone consistently, hitters will have a very difficult time handling it.

Tolle might have a chance at redemption next week when the Athletics travel to Fenway Park for a three-game series. The Red Sox first play a three-game weekend set with the New York Yankees, for which they have their top three starting pitchers lined up.