Payton Tolle, Caleb Durbin Help Red Sox End Skid In Dominant Fashion originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox desperately needed someone to stop their sudden slide. Payton Tolle answered the call with arguably the finest start of his young career.
Tolle allowed only two hits across eight scoreless innings as the Red Sox snapped a five-game losing streak with a convincing 7-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday afternoon at Rogers Centre.
Caleb Durbin supplied the biggest offensive blow with a grand slam in the eighth inning. The third baseman finished 3-for-5 and drove in a career-high five runs as Boston avoided a four-game sweep.
The Red Sox improved to 65-56 and earned their 36th road victory of the season. Toronto fell to 59-64 after winning the first three games of the series.
One victory could not completely erase a frustrating trip, but Boston departed Toronto with something it badly needed: momentum.
Payton Tolle Delivers Eight Scoreless Innings
Tolle controlled the game from the beginning. The left-hander allowed two hits, issued two walks and struck out four. He threw 61 of his 91 pitches for strikes while completing a season-high eight innings.
Toronto never advanced a runner beyond first base against him.
Tolle retired the first nine batters he faced before Brett Bateman opened the fourth inning with a single. A double play immediately erased that threat. The Blue Jays did not collect their second hit until Charles McAdoo singled with two outs in the eighth.
That was as close as Toronto came to generating any offense.
Tolle improved to 8-6 and lowered his ERA from 3.20 to 2.97. His performance also gave an overworked Boston bullpen an important break following three difficult games.
The timing made his outing even more valuable.
Garrett Whitlock was placed on the injured list before Thursday’s game, leaving the Red Sox without one of their most dependable relievers. Tolle removed any immediate concern about how manager Chad Tracy would cover those innings.
Greg Weissert, who joined the team as the corresponding roster addition, made his return in the ninth. Weissert worked around a walk and struck out one batter to complete Boston’s two-hit shutout.
Caleb Durbin Breaks Game Open With Grand Slam
Willson Contreras gave Tolle an early lead with an RBI double in the first inning. Wilyer Abreu drew a two-out walk before Contreras drove a pitch from Max Scherzer into right field. The hit allowed Abreu to score from first and gave Boston a 1-0 advantage.
That lead remained intact through seven innings as Tolle and Scherzer controlled the game. Scherzer allowed one run on three hits and two walks across five innings. The three-time Cy Young Award winner struck out four and kept Toronto within one until the Blue Jays bullpen took over.
Boston finally broke the game open in the eighth. Ceddanne Rafaela singled and Abreu walked before Masataka Yoshida collected his second hit of the afternoon to load the bases. Durbin then launched a 384-foot grand slam to left field, extending the lead to 5-0.
The swing removed any remaining pressure from Tolle and effectively ended Toronto’s comeback hopes. Durbin added an RBI single in the ninth after Yoshida’s sacrifice fly scored Nick Sogard. His five RBIs accounted for all but two of Boston’s runs.
Rafaela and Yoshida each finished with two hits. Rafaela scored three times, while Abreu reached base three times and scored twice. Boston collected 10 hits after struggling throughout the first three games of the series.
Pinkies up for this Durbin grand slam! pic.twitter.com/hKnpdDPT42
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 13, 2026
Red Sox Finally End Five-Game Losing Streak
The Red Sox arrived in Toronto following an eight-game winning streak, but nearly all of that momentum disappeared during the first three games. Boston lost the series opener 2-1 before dropping the next two games by scores of 5-3 and 6-4. Wednesday’s loss was particularly painful, as Toronto scored five runs in the eighth inning following a costly defensive mistake.
That's a W!
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 13, 2026
FINAL: #RedSox 7, Blue Jays 0 #DirtyWaterpic.twitter.com/2eiXuWL1GK
The skid matched Boston’s longest of the season and allowed the New York Yankees to create more separation in the American League East standings.
Thursday represented a complete reversal.
MORE: Red Sox Considering Notable Next Step In Roman Anthony’s Recovery
Boston played clean defense, produced timely hits and received a brilliant performance from its starting pitcher. The Red Sox scored more runs in the final two innings Thursday than they did in any of the first three games.
The victory left Boston 9.5 games behind the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays and three games behind the second-place Yankees. The Red Sox remain firmly in the American League playoff race, but their margin for extended stretches of poor play continues to shrink.
Boston still lost the series, and one win does not solve the offensive inconsistency that surfaced throughout the trip.
It does prevent a difficult week from becoming disastrous.
Tolle gave the Red Sox exactly what they required from their series finale. Durbin made sure his effort resulted in a win.
After five consecutive losses, Boston finally can breathe again.