The Boston Red Sox may not have come out on top on Thursday, but there was one clear bright spot: Payton Tolle.
The 23-year-old took the hill for his seventh start of the season and pitched 4 2/3 innings against the No. 1 team in baseball and allowed just two earned runs while striking out seven. He gave Boston a chance in this game, but the bullpen let him down. The bullpen has been great overall this season, but not on Thursday. The bullpen allowed eight earned runs — including a grand slam off Greg Weissert by Ronald Acuña Jr.
On the bright side, former Red Sox star Chris Sale, who earned the win for the Braves, had some very high praise for Tolle, as transcribed by MLB.com's Ian Browne.
"I told him I like watching him pitch," Sale said. "He pitches with an intensity. He's got really good stuff. He's gonna be good for a long time."
"I told him I like watching him pitch,. He pitches with a with an intensity. He's got really good stuff, He's gonna be good for a long time." -- Chris Sale on Payton Tolle.
— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) May 29, 2026
This is the type of message that should take some of the sting out of the loss. It doesn't fully take it away, of course. But it's something that should make Boston fans feel good.