BOSTON — Left-handers Payton Tolle and Kyle Harrison both will be available out of the Red Sox bullpen during this three-game series (Tuesday-Thursday) against the Athletics at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox chose 23-year-old Connelly Early to start Tuesday’s game over Tolle and Harrison. It will be Early’s second big-league appearance. He started against the A’s last week, striking out 11 over 5 scoreless innings in his MLB debut.
“They’ll be out of the bullpen for this series and then we’ll decide what we do for the Tampa series,” manager Alex Cora said about Tolle and Harrison.
Lucas Giolito will start Wednesday, and Brayan Bello will pitch Thursday before the Red Sox travel to Tampa to play the Rays on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Cora confirmed during his Tuesday pregame press conference that ace Garrett Crochet will start Friday vs. the Rays.
The Red Sox will therefore need a starting pitcher for Saturday. Both Tolle and Harrison are candidates, even if Boston were to use them out of the pen Tuesday and Wednesday. They would be unavailable to start Saturday if they were used during the final game of this series on Thursday.
Tolle, a 22-year-old who’s ranked Boston’s No. 1 prospect, has made three starts since being promoted Aug. 29. He has allowed nine runs in 10 ⅓ innings. The 24-year-old Harrison pitched in relief Wednesday after Boston promoted him before that game. The lefty, whom Boston acquired from the Giants in the Rafael Devers trade June 15, tossed 3 scoreless innings.
Boston could also use an opener followed by a bullpen game on Saturday if needed.
“We’re in a good spot,” Cora said. “Obviously the guys are going to pitch on regular rest this time through the rotation. Gio is tomorrow and Bello on Thursday. And Garrett on Friday. They’ve been good. I think the medical staff has done an amazing job recognizing when they need some time or when we have to tone it down as far as like the pitch count.”
Cora said the Red Sox don’t have concerns about the workloads of Tolle and Early.
“I think they can give us 90, 95 pitches where they’re at,” Cora said. “So that’s good enough for us.”
Facing the same team twice in a week should be challenging for Early. But Cora noted it also would have been a challenge for Tolle and Harrison because they pitched against the Athletics in Sacramento last week.
“So we decided it was him and we’ll see how it goes,” Cora said about Early. “He prepares. He was doing his homework. If we have to make adjustments — we still have to throw strikes and expand when we have to. And hopefully we can accomplish that.”
Early’s 11 strikeouts last Wednesday tied a Red Sox franchise record for an MLB debut. He induced 19 swings and misses, the most by any MLB pitcher that day. He threw 28 four-seam fastballs (four swings and misses), topping out at 96.6 mph and averaging 94.2 mph. He also recorded six whiffs with his curveball and three whiffs each with his changeup, slider and sinker.