Did Payton Tolle have the best start of his career yesterday in Toronto? By many measures, yes. The 8 innings he threw tied his career high, having also thrown 8 against the Braves back in May. It was the fifth time in his career he held the opposition lineup to 0 runs (he still has yet to allow fewer than 0 runs in a single game — that’s something he’ll need to work on in the offseason), and the fifth time he’s held them to no more than 2 hits. His game score of 80 also tied the best mark of his career, previously set with a 7-inning shutout against the Yankees in June. Where he was lacking, though, was in strikeouts. In the 23 starts Tolle has made in his career, he struck out more than the 4 he did yesterday in 15 of them. But in the case of yesterday’s start, the lack of strikeouts just showed his versatility. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
Tolle’s dominant outing came at a great time, not only because the Sox needed to stop a losing skid, but because the bullpen took a major hit. As we feared, Garrett Whitlock was placed on the IL with right elbow inflammation. The inflammation has reportedly been growing over the last few weeks, though as of now it’s not considered serious enough to warrant an MRI. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
With Whitlock on the shelf, is the bullpen going to get a boost in the form of Garrett Crochet at any point soon? Don’t count on it. “It’s not a lot,” Chad Tracy said of the throwing he’s been doing. “It’s been light throwing right now, and see how he continues to react to that before they start backing him up.” (Dan Morrison, Yahoo)
We have slightly more positive news on Roman Anthony, however. He’s been down in Florida, having recently progressed to hitting off of a high-velocity pitching machine. Now, Chad Tracy says the Sox are going to “talk through” the idea of bringing him back to Boston to continue his rehab, which, you know, great. It’s always nice to talk things over. (Rodney Knuppel, NESN)
Does Willson Contreras need to talk things over with Red Sox Nation after he was booed in Fenway Park recently? Not according to Contreras, who doesn’t seem bothered by it. “Something’s bothering my leg. That’s why I didn’t run the other day when the fans booed me. Man, didn’t run one time and they boo anybody. Which is good. But I don’t care. I think it’s part of baseball. They have the right to boo, they have to yell, they have a right to do everything.” (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
If Willson ever does need some advice on how to handle booing, he can always turn to John Henry. And when Henry’s gone, he’ll have Linda and the kids, apparently. That’s because, according to Sam Kennedy, the Sox are going to be in their hands for a long time. “John Henry, Linda Henry, the Henry family are never selling the Boston Red Sox. And that’s a soundbite you can play forevermore. I’d bet anything on that.” (Scott McLaughlin, WEEI)