Sunday’s series finale between the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles wasn’t a playoff game. It didn’t even carry playoff stakes; the Red Sox are all but locked into their spot. It did, however, play out like a game you might see in the postseason.
Payton Tolle started the game for the Red Sox and was brilliant. I’ve probably made this analogy before, but he pitched like the kid who was bigger than everyone else in Little League, pounding his four-seam fastball in the zone. The prepubescent lineup, the Orioles in this case, could do little with the pitch. He threw a first-pitch strike to a remarkable 17 of 21 hitters, lived in the zone, and dared them to put the ball in play. The Orioles failed to do so, whiffing 17 times and punching out 12 times in the first six innings. The only blemish came in the first inning, when Tolle allowed back-to-back two-strike, two-out doubles for the Orioles’ only run. On the day, he threw 77% strikes — a season high.
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The only offense of the day for the Red Sox came in the second inning. Caleb Durbin drew a walk on five pitches against Orioles starter Kyle Bradish. He later advanced to second on a groundout by Jarren Duran. With two outs, Andruw Monasterio hit a ground ball to deep shortstop that Gunnar Henderson couldn’t handle, putting runners on the corners with two outs. And of course, when you give a team four outs, they often make you pay. In this case, Eli White hit a ball into the seats to put the Red Sox up 3-1. That would go on to be the final score.
After Tolle exited the game, Erik Miller retired three hitters in a row in the seventh inning. Jovani Moran handled the eighth, seeing the bottom of the Orioles order and making quick work of them. Aroldis Chapman took the ball in the ninth and allowed Pete Alonso to reach base with one out via a ground-ball single, but struck out the final two hitters to secure the victory and record his 400th career save. Notably, his final pitch of the at-bat was 101.0 mph. It was his first time reaching that number since July, and just his third time hitting 101 (without rounding) this season. The milestone was likely on his mind, but it’s nice to know he can still reach back and bring the heat in a high-leverage situation.
So, why did this feel like a postseason game? It had (almost) all of the ingredients of winning in the postseason. Starting pitching? Payton Tolle was lights out. Home runs? It’s hard to string together hits against elite pitching in the postseason to put together big innings. Home runs are often the deciding factor. Today, Eli White stepped up with two runners on base to put up a crooked number. Bullpen? The bullpen allowed just one hit over the final three frames today.
It will look different for the Red Sox in October this season, given the number of players returning from the injured list. Willson Contreras will play a part. Ceddanne Rafaela will be back as well. Tyron Guerrero, and maybe even Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, or Johan Oviedo could be throwing innings out of the bullpen. A notable omission from today’s game was Garrett Whitlock. The eighth inning would typically be his in a two-run game, but Chad Tracy opted for Jovani Moran, who has struggled, instead. With Whitlock working on both Thursday and Friday, he was likely unavailable. The team has been careful to manage their arms down the stretch to be prepared for the postseason, but that might be a hint as to where he is healthwise.
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The Red Sox return home on Monday for a six-game homestand against the Angels and Royals.
Three Studs
Payton Tolle (6 IP, 1 ER, 12 K, 0 BB, 1 Pushup)
Eli White (2-4, HR)
Erik Miller, Jovani Moran, Aroldis Chapman (3 IP, 1 H, 5 K)
Three Duds
Mickey Gasper (0-1, 2 BB, HBP)
Mickey Gasper didn’t even hit a home run today. What a bum.
Roman Anthony (0-4, BB)
Nick Sogard (0-4, 3 K)
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