Payton Tolle is hitting the mound tonight against the Marlins for the fourth straight time on five days rest, and honestly, opponents absolutely hate to see it. When this dude gets that “extra” fifth day, batters are hitting a measly .196 against him with a .539 OPS. That’s straight-up dominant! Compare that to when he pitches on a normal four days rest, where opponents hit a much more comfortable .250 with a .753 OPS. It’s night and day, right?
The Secret Sauce: Rest and Barefoot Shenanigans
This huge difference in performance is exactly why the Sox rolled with a pseudo six-man rotation through that brutal stretch in early August without an off day. They were bringing in Brayan Bello as a “bulk guy” after an opener every sixth day. Smart move, because they need Tolle healthy. He’s already blowing past his career high in innings pitched, and the team is clearly hoping to rack up his innings total deep into October. They’re trying to keep him fresh for a deep run! And just to keep things light, the guy apparently gets his “grounding time” in by walking around the field barefoot before his starts. You gotta respect the pre-game ritual, whatever it is.
Lineup Shake-Up and Injury Watch
The lineup tonight has a couple of eyebrow-raisers, too. Adley Rutschman is taking a seat after feeling something in his right elbow yesterday, which is never what you want to hear. Caleb Durbin also gets a scheduled day off, so Nick Sogard is stepping up, starting at third and leading off. The team is saying they aren’t “too concerned” about Rutschman, but we’ve all seen how this club handles injuries. Let’s just say they’ve got a history of downplaying stuff. I’m definitely keeping an eagle eye on whether he’s available off the bench or if he’s back in tomorrow’s starting nine. For tonight, the Red Sox are rolling with Sogard (3B), Ceddanne Rafaela (CF), Wilyer Abreu (RF), Willson Contreras (1B), Mickey Gasper (DH), Andruw Monasterio (SS), Jarren Duran (LF), Anthony Seigler (2B), Connor Wong (C), and of course, Tolle on the bump.
Tonight’s first pitch is at 6:40 PM from LoanDepot Park in Miami. We’re all watching to see if Tolle keeps shutting it down and how this Rutschman elbow situation plays out. You know the club needs to be straight with us about these injuries if they want a real shot!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Over the Monster.
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