Tolle (4-6) took the loss Wednesday as the Red Sox were routed 10-2 by the Nationals, coughing up six runs on seven hits and three walks over three-plus innings. He struck out five.
Four of the hits off Tolle went for extra bases, including a first-inning homer by Andres Chaparro and a fourth-inning blast by Nasim Nunez -- in both cases their first long balls of the season. It's the first time since May 28 that the southpaw has failed to last at least five innings, and Wednesday's outing was his shortest of the year. Tolle will take a 3.39 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 74:23 K:BB through 74.1 innings into his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week against the White Sox.