Boston drops series opener as Diamondbacks bats erupt, roughing up Red Sox’ Payton Tolle in second start

Payton Tolle's second big league start lacked the brilliance of his debut.

The 22-year-old left-hander was knocked around for five runs in three innings Friday night, as the Red Sox fell 10–5 to the Diamondbacks in the series opener at Chase Field.

Tolle, promoted last week after a rapid rise through the minors, showed flashes of the bulldog mentality that earned him a call-up, but command issues and hard contact quickly derailed his outing. He walked four batters, uncorked a wild pitch that gave Arizona the lead in the second inning, and left a fastball over the plate in the third that Ildemaro Vargas crushed for a three-run homer.

“Got to learn fast,” Tolle told reporters, “but trying to ask questions about it. We hate failing, but if you don’t fail, you’re not gonna learn anything. Gotta pull something out of it. Can’t just go back to the hotel room and sit there and feel sorry for myself. I’ve got to learn about something and be able to take it into next week.”

In his first outing, the Pirates' offense had no answers for Tolle’s fastball. The Diamondbacks, on the other hand, were ready for the southpaw, and their second hitter of the game, Geraldo Perdomo, crushed a 417-foot homer into the bleachers in left-center for a 1-0 Arizona lead.

“That was a great at-bat,” Alex Cora said of Perdomo’s nine-pitch at-bat versus Tolle. “Fouled off a few good fastballs away up-and-away, and then got a pitch down in the zone, put a good swing on it, and then after that, they just kept going.”

Cora had hoped that Tolle would settle into his outing, but ultimately pulled him after 77 pitches. His final line: three innings, five runs off five hits with four walks and two strikeouts.

It was a sharp contrast to his debut last week at Fenway Park, where he struck out seven. Tolle’s outing was very pedestrian, and the D-Backs quickly exposed him early, highlighting the growing pains when dealing with young starters on the mound.

“It wasn’t quite going to cut it—long at-bats, not putting guys away. Kind of struggled with some feel, especially with some offspeed pitches there,” said Tolle. “It sucks. It’s not fun. Just got to learn from it and move to the next one.”

One factor in Tolle’s struggles on Friday night was his inability to generate competitive pitches with his secondary offerings. He was inconsistent with the use of his changeup and curveball, relying on his fastball, cutter, and slider, which didn’t fool Arizona’s lineup.

“He didn’t have any secondary pitches today, and then the fastball command was off,” Cora said. “The first one was up, and he attacked the upper rail. Today, he was trying to do that, but he was down, and they did a good job covering that pitch.

“They kept fouling off pitches, and he walked four, too, so that’s part of the equation. At this level, if the line keeps moving, at one point, they’re gonna do damage.”

It’s been two games since the Red Sox lost Roman Anthony to an oblique injury, and the offense continues to scuffle. Boston was able to score in the second inning, tying the game on a Nathaniel Lowe RBI triple.

That was the only offense the Sox could muster off old friend Eduardo Rodriguez. The veteran left-hander threw six steady frames, holding Boston to just the one run while walking two, striking out four, and keeping the Red Sox off-balance all night with a healthy mix of cutters, changeups, and fastballs.

Boston showed some life late in the game; down by six runs, the Sox scored four times. Carlos Narváez led off the inning by shooting an opposite-field double down the right-field line in the eighth. Following a Jarren Duran walk, Alex Bregman drilled a two-run double to left-center, marking his first multi-run hit since Aug. 12, to make it 6-3. Rob Refsnyder belted an RBI double off lefty reliever Andrew Saalfrank to make it 6-5.

Any and all hopes of a comeback were immediately erased in the D-Backs’ home half of the inning. Justin Slaten imploded, allowing four earned runs, including a three-run homer to Corbin Carroll, his 30th of the season.

The loss dropped Boston to 4 1/2 games behind the Blue Jays, who beat the Yankees in the Bronx. New York kept a half-game lead for the top wild-card spot. The Sox remain 5 1/2 games ahead of the Royals and Rangers, the top teams vying for a spot in the postseason.

The Red Sox will turn to Lucas Giolito (10-2, 3.38 ERA) as he looks to stop the current losing skid. He’ll be opposed by right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (12-8, 5.33 ERA). The first pitch is at 8:10 p.m. ET.