As Payton Tolle prepares to take the mound tonight against the Marlins, it’s worth noting this will be his fourth consecutive start on five days rest. When opponents face Tolle on a “normal,” four days of rest, they hit .250 with a .753 OPS. While not horrible, it’s a rather pedestrian line for a guy who is known for lighting up his surroundings both on and off the mound.
When Tolle faces opponents on that “extra” fifth day of rest though, opponents only hit .196 against him with a .539 OPS. This is one of the big reasons why the Sox used a pseudo six man rotation through their long stretch earlier in August without an off day (bringing Brayan Bello in as a “bulk guy” behind an opener every sixth day). The other was of course to keep Tolle’s general workload down as he’s blowing by his career high in innings pitched, and they’re of course hoping to continue to pile up his 2026 innings total deep into October.
With all those hard facts swirling in the background, here’s something a little lighter — Payton Tolle walking around the field barefoot before his start:
The lineup tonight is also worth noting. Adley Rutschman takes a seat after apparently feeling something in his right elbow during last night’s game, and Caleb Durbin gets a scheduled day off with the versatile Nick Sogard starting at third and leading off. The Sox don’t seem too concerned about Rutschman, but I’ll certainly be keeping a close eye on if he’s available off the bench in the late innings and / or if he starts tomorrow. With the way this club has turned underestimating the severity of injuries into an art form, let’s hope this doesn’t get added to the collection.
First Pitch: 6:40pm — LoanDepot Park, Miami, FL
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