The Red Sox named left-hander Payton Tolle to start Game 1 of their Wild Card Series against the Yankees tomorrow night, setting up a matchup with Cam Schlittler. The choice establishes Boston's pitching order for the short series.
Boston's final roster was not expected until the next morning. Braiden Ward, who has yet to appear in a Major League game, traveled with the team; if selected, he would likely be used as a pinch-runner.
MLB.com's Mike Petriello reported that Boston had the most left-handed pitching staff in baseball this season and its most left-handed staff in nearly four decades. A Boston Globe report said the team sent two top scouts to New York last week to watch a four-game Yankees-Rays series, after relying on video and in-office data analysis for regular-season advance scouting.
