Payton Tolle Faces Connor Prielipp in Fenway Opener — Twins Vs Red Sox
Payton Tolle and Connor Prielipp handled the twins vs red sox opener at Fenway Park on Friday night, and the matchup began a three-game series as Boston returned home after a day off. The Red Sox came in on a three-game winning streak and started a six-game homestand after a 4-2 road trip through Atlanta and Kansas City.
Fenway Park pitching setup
Tolle got the ball for Boston after throwing eight innings in a 3-2 win over the Braves last Saturday. Prielipp took the mound for Minnesota in just his sixth start, coming off six innings with eight strikeouts in a 2-1 loss to the Brewers.
The left-on-left pairing fit the way both clubs arrived. The Red Sox had won 4-3 over the Royals on Wednesday, while the Twins had taken two of three from the Astros and won three of their last four games.
Twins lineup and Jeffers absence
Minnesota listed Byron Buxton at designated hitter, Royce Lewis at third base, Matt Wallner in center field, Christian Bell at first base, Willi Castro in left field, Jonah Bride at shortstop, Austin Martin in right field, Luke Keaschall at second base, and Christian Jackson at catcher. The Twins were also working without Ryan Jeffers, who went on the injured list Tuesday with a left hamate bone fracture and was expected to miss 6 to 8 weeks after batting.295 with 26 RBIs.
Derek Shelton said, “One of the things that we were very thoughtful about this offseason was getting another major league catcher in terms of Victor [Caratini] and being able to fill that,” and added, “The offensive production, we’re just going to have to fill it with multiple people because Ryan has been so good.”
Boston lineup around Duran
Boston answered with Jarren Duran in left field, Ceddanne Rafaela in center field, Wilyer Abreu in right field, Willson Contreras at first base, David Monasterio at designated hitter, Nick Sogard at shortstop, Marcelo Mayer at second base, Carlos Narváez at catcher, and Jamie Westbrook at third base. Duran entered with 7 for 19, six extra-base hits and six RBIs over his last five games, and Contreras carried a five-game hitting streak with 9 for 20 in that stretch.
Prielipp had not faced any Boston batters before Friday. Boston’s order and Minnesota’s pitching numbers set up the opener around the same issue on both sides: whether the recent form carried over once the series started under the lights at Fenway.
