Payton Tolle took the mound for the Boston Red Sox on Thursday against the Athletics for his third career start. He threw two innings and allowed two runs on three hits.

Entering the game, the plan was for Tolle to go through the A’s lineup one time. He was working on four days’ rest for the first time, and the Red Sox want to protect his arm as he’s sped through the minor leagues.

Still, the outing wasn’t what Tolle wanted. Two of the three hits he allowed were home runs, and his command was once again inconsistent. He spotted his cutter better than he did in his previous outing, but his fastball found the middle of the plate too often. It was his second straight shaky outing.

Two of his mistakes were taken out of the park. Shea Langeliers took a belt-high cutter over the fence, whil

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