Payton Tolle started for the Boston Red Sox and finished with nine strikeouts, but the second inning was rocky. After the sixth inning, Chad Tracy moved to the bullpen, sending Justin Slaten for the seventh. Slaten retired only two batters before being removed, allowing four hits and four runs, including two home runs, while recording just one strikeout. Greg Weissert entered afterward to finish the inning, but the damage was already done. Boston stranded two runners in the eighth and failed to tie the game. Minnesota added an insurance run in the ninth to secure the win. Tracy said the decision was to hope Tolle could get through five, then proceed with Slaten, Garrett Whitlock, and Aroldis Chapman for a fourth time through the order.
"For me, not much [of a decision], just because at the time it was, 'let's just hope he gets through five'," Tracy said. "Once he got through six and you got [Slaten], Whit, and Chapman lined up and you're about to go through the order a fourth time. "Obviously it didn't go the way we wanted it to, but it was pretty clear-cut we were going to go there.""
"He sent Justin Slaten out for the seventh inning, and everything went horribly wrong. Slaten only retired two batters before being yanked. In not even a full inning of work, he gave up four hits, four runs - including two home runs - and only one strikeout. Greg Weissert came out to clean things up and get out of the inning, but the damage was done."
"He was good. ... Obviously the second inning was long, they batted through the order," Tracy explained. "I thought there were some times when he was missing bigger than he usually does, but I give him a lot of credit ... he did a nice job to settle in and keep the lead for us.""
"Boston had some fight left in the bottom of the eighth inning, but stranded two runners on base and failed to tie. Minnesota added an insurance run in the ninth, and that was it. Friday felt like a wasted night for Boston's offense; it's only posted six or more runs in roughly 20 percent of games this season, and its latest outburst was overshadowed by an even larger one"
Read at Boston.com
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