BALTIMORE — As Payton Tolle watched the Boston Red Sox starting rotation deliver one gem after another over the first three games of their series in Baltimore, he wanted a piece of the action.
Not to be outdone, the left-hander tossed a gem of his own, allowing one run on four hits in a six-inning, 12-strikeout, no-walk performance Sunday as the Red Sox topped the Orioles 3-1 to complete a four-game series sweep.
Tolle’s latest outstanding effort, in what’s been a season full of them, was the fourth straight quality start for the Red Sox after consecutive scoreless outings from Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray on Friday and Saturday, and a strong outing from Jake Bennett on Thursday.
“It was an amazing performance by our entire pitching staff for four days,” interim manager Chad Tracy said.
“I’ve used this word a lot, but it’s ‘contagious,’” Tolle said. “Just being able to see guys have success and then continue to flow right along with them. It was a good (series) for everybody.”
Tolle allowed back-to-back doubles in the first inning, accounting for the lone Orioles run, then buzzsawed through the next five innings. He struck out at least two batters in each of his first five frames, and settled for one in the sixth.
The dozen strikeouts wasn’t even his season-high. He struck out 14 at home Aug. 7 against the Athletics. Overall, it was his third double-digit strikeout performance this season. Since 1969, Roger Clemens is the only other Red Sox pitcher age 23 or younger to record as many as three outings with 10 or more strikeouts.
Aroldis Chapman struck out Baltimore’s Christian Encarnacion-Strand to finish his 400th career save in Sunday’s win. (Jamie Sabau / Imagn Images)
Tolle has found his name alongside Clemens’ more and more as the season has progressed. At a point in the season when fatigue could be setting in, Tolle looks stronger with each outing. He even did a push-up on the mound after he tripped following a delivery in the third inning.
“That’s the first time, and that’ll be the last time,” he quipped about the push-up. “That’s as many as I’m getting out.”
The Red Sox had only two hits through the first seven innings, but one of them was a three-run homer from Eli White in the second inning. Caleb Durbin walked, Andruw Monasterio reached on an error and White crushed his home run to left-center field.
With Tolle at 91 pitches after the sixth, Tracy turned to Erik Miller and Jovani Moran to lock down the next two innings before Aroldis Chapman closed the game for his 400th career save. The team celebrated in the clubhouse after the game.
“It’s very special,” Chapman said through a team interpreter. “A few years back, I lost my role as a closer, and I had two or three years where I wasn’t able to close a game. When I came here to (the Red Sox), they gave me an opportunity to compete for a closer job, and I was able to win it. And that was one of the things that I wanted to do in my career. There was a moment that I thought I wasn’t going to be able to do it. But thank God, now we’re here, and I was able to get to 400.”
White started in center field for the fourth straight day in place of Ceddanne Rafaela, who was placed on the injured list Sunday with right quad tightness.
Rafaela exited Wednesday’s game with the injury and hasn’t played since. With the tightness still lingering despite receiving treatment, the Red Sox needed to make an IL decision after realizing Rafaela would still need a few days to ramp up.
“He’s actually improved,” Tracy said. “But you start doing the math, he’s going to need the next series to kind of get on his feet and go through a little running progression and make sure all that’s good.”
To replace his spot on the roster, the team recalled Nate Eaton from Triple-A Worcester, primarily for his defensive skills.
“Very, very good defender,” Tracy said. “That’s important, and he can run. So that’s the biggest reason is it allows us to be more aggressive in spots, even with a lead if we want (to pinch hit).”
Questions lingered about why Kristian Campbell, who has excelled of late in Worcester, wasn’t called up. Campbell has mostly split time between right and left field, and recently has started to turn a corner at the plate, posting a 1.005 OPS since the All-Star break. Tracy acknowledged his improvement, but didn’t want to call him up for a bench role where he would play infrequently.
“There’s always consideration for guys that are doing well, but you also have to consider the role,” Tracy said. “Where are the at-bats? If it’s primarily a bench role for running and defense, taking Kristian out of an environment where he’s swinging the bat and continuing to get ABs is not (ideal).”
While Campbell has been hitting well, including a 3-for-4 day Sunday for Worcester, Eaton is a superior defensive outfielder for late-game switches. Romy Gonzalez, meanwhile, is hitting .481 over his last seven games in Triple A, but mostly plays the infield.
The last time the Red Sox played in Baltimore on April 26, the team was reeling after Alex Cora’s firing. Tracy had just managed his first big-league game, and the season seemed to be spiraling out of control.
Four months later, the Red Sox left Baltimore with a four-game sweep and a chance to rest some key players ahead of what they hope is a deep October run.