Red Sox shutout by Blue Jays 3-0 as Payton Tolle can't replicate debut

After an impressive debut against the Yankees, Payton Tolle returned to the mound Tuesday against another division opponent, but couldn’t replicate the same success as Toronto defeated Boston, 3-0.

The loss marked the first under interim manager Chad Tracy and the third time this season the Red Sox have been shut out.

Tolle threw 68 pitches over 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits while walking four and striking out four.

“He threw the ball pretty well,” Tracy told reporters postgame. Tracy explained that he and pitching coach Andrew Bailey had discussed a shorter start for the Tolle, since he hadn’t been on a traditional five-day schedule. Including not pitching for 11 days while the Red Sox were deciding when Tolle would make his big league debut this month.

The left-hander’s velocity was down, averaging 95.0 mph on his four-seam fastball (35 pitches, topping out at 96.2 mph), per Baseball Savant. That's compared to 97.1 mph (46 pitches, topping out at 99.5 mph) in his debut against the Yankees.

“The velo was a little down for most of the game anyhow, it started to go a little lower, it looked like he was fatiguing, so went ahead and made the move,” Tracy said.

Tolle worked efficiently, getting through each inning on 16 or fewer pitches, but his pitch mix was unusual, and his velocity was down across all five offerings, including drops of at least 2.2 mph on his four-seam, sinker, and cutter, his three most-used pitches.

“It was down, but instead of just taking it for what it was, I kind of got in my own way about it, started trying too hard on some pitches,” Tolle said of his velocity. "I thought I was trying to make them gross, and like, I just needed to go out there and keep doing what I can with what I got that day. So something to learn from, for sure.”

Toronto got on the board in the third inning. Andrés Giménez led off with a single, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. put both runners in scoring position with a two-out double. Kazuma Okamoto then delivered, ripping a 95.8 mph four-seam fastball from Tolle off the left-field wall for a two-run single. 

The ball left his bat at 105.1 mph, giving the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead.

“It was a grind,” Tolle said. “Just didn’t feel (like) myself, really. Thought I was pressing a little too hard on myself. Even Connelly (Early) came in here and said, ‘Hey, looks like you’re just beating yourself up.’ So definitely feel like I got in my own way today.”

After issuing back-to-back two-out walks to Myles Straw and Ernie Clement, Tracy turned to right-hander Zack Kelly.

The righty allowed an inherited runner to score on an RBI single by Guerrero Jr. before finishing the inning. Toronto managed just three more baserunners the rest of the way against Kelly, Tyler Samaniego, and Ryan Watson, but the damage had already been done.

Boston had early chances against Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage in his team debut, but couldn’t capitalize as he settled in. The 22-year-old started the season on the injured list, recovering from a shoulder impingement. 

The Red Sox managed just four hits, singles from Marcelo Mayer, Masataka Yoshida, and Trevor Story, plus a double from Willson Contreras, going 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and leaving five on base.

After the second inning, Boston didn’t have another runner reach scoring position. Starting with Caleb Durbin, Yesavage retired 11 of his final 12 batters, with Yoshida’s two-out single in the fourth serving as the lone exception.

Yesavage exited after striking out Contreras to open the sixth, finishing with three strikeouts. He allowed just four hits, issued no walks, and threw 74 pitches (50 for strikes) in an efficient outing.

Against the Blue Jays bullpen, Boston went down in order, adding five more 1-2-3 innings to a total that already ranks among the highest in the majors. It marked the Red Sox’s seventh game with four hits or fewer, tied for the most in baseball.

Boston fell to 12-18 and will look to avoid a series loss Wednesday at 3:07 p.m. Brayan Bello (1-3, 9.00 ERA) is set to start for the Red Sox, while Toronto has yet to name a starter.