Touki shows promise in losing effort vs. Sox

ATLANTA -- Touki Toussaint did not garner the result he was seeking in his second Major League start. But the talented young right-hander provided further indication he is quite capable of serving as an asset as the Braves aim to secure a postseason berth.
Toussaint flashed his tremendous potential through four innings and then endured some growing pains during a three-run fifth inning that proved too destructive for the Braves to overcome during Monday afternoon's 8-2 loss to the Red Sox at SunTrust Park.
"[Toussaint] has everything you need to be successful at the Major League level," Braves catcher Kurt Suzuki said. "His attitude has been great. He works hard. He's very intelligent for a young kid in terms of processing information about what he wants to do in certain situations. It's been fun. It's been exciting. The last two times I've caught him, it's been great."
Ozzie Albies homered against a right-handed pitcher for the first time in nearly two months and Toussaint generated excitement as he held Boston's potent lineup hitless through the first 4 1/3 innings. But the inability to fully capitalize on three bases-loaded threats doomed the Braves, who were trying to take advantage of the Phillies' Monday afternoon loss in Miami.

As the Braves move forward with their current four-game lead over the second-place Phillies in the National League East, they certainly have every reason to continue leaning on Toussaint, who silenced the potent Red Sox lineup before his no-hit bid ended with the three consecutive one-out doubles in the fifth.
Manager Brian Snitker hasn't revealed his plan, but it would be hard for him to justify not starting Toussaint again during this upcoming series against the D-backs -- the team that took the hurler with the 16th overall selection in the 2014 Draft.
"The command and feel for his secondary pitches is so good," Snitker said. "His stuff is live and he's athletic. He can do a lot of lot of things. He's going to win a lot of games in this league."
Toussaint's bid for a no-hitter was erased by Eduardo Núñez's double to left, and his shutout bid evaporated when Ian Kinsler reached across the plate to deliver an RBI double to the right-center-field gap. Christian Vázquez took advantage of a mediocre curveball when he followed with a double that positioned him to score on Mookie Betts' single.

"I thought [Toussaint] was real good," Snitker said. "I really liked what I saw."
Given the complimentary reviews expressed after the game, it was obvious the Braves felt Toussaint pitched much better than his line suggested. Yeah, he surrendered three runs over just 4 2/3 innings. But the poise he displayed as he consistently commanded his sinker and splitter is not what you'd expect to see from somebody who has made just 10 starts above the Double-A level.
The hype regarding Toussaint's curveball has also been justified through his first two starts. He recorded a called strike with seven of the 20 curves he threw against the Red Sox.

"Yeah, I mean good breaking ball," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "Slow breaking ball. You can watch all the video you want, but until you see it you have no idea how it plays."
The Red Sox covered the early exit of Nathan Eovaldi -- who completed just 3 1/3 innings -- and took advantage of Freddie Freeman's two-out throwing error to add a pair of unearned runs in the eighth. As for the Braves, they generated just one run from their bases-loaded threats and proved unsuccessful in their attempt to pick up Toussaint. They were 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position for the day.
Toussaint positioned himself for this opportunity on Aug. 13, when he limited the Marlins to one run over six innings in his Major League debut. This more challenging start against the Red Sox created reason to anxiously await what he might do over the remainder of this month.
"I tried to keep the team in the game, but it kind of got out of hand fast," Toussaint said. "It's a learning experience. You go back to the drawing board."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Leaving 'em loaded: Eovaldi issued three walks -- one fewer than he had in his previous 34 innings with the Red Sox -- during a 39-pitch first inning, but escaped unscathed when Suzuki grounded out. Suzuki's single combined with a pair of walks allowed the Braves to load the bases again with one out in the fourth. But Toussaint's grounder resulted in a forceout at the plate and Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a harmless pop fly to end that threat.

Trailing, 3-1, entering the bottom of the seventh, the Braves produced three singles to load the bases again with just one out. But after Suzuki cut the deficit to one run with a sacrifice fly to right, Albies struck out against Heath Hembree.
"Sometimes you're going to drive them in and sometimes you're not," Suzuki said. "You've just got to pick yourself up and move forward and try to get them the next time."

SOUND SMART
Eovaldi began his outing by getting Acuna to look at 2-2 fastball that was clocked at 100.9 mph before it striped the outside corner. It was the fastest pitch the Red Sox righty has thrown this year and the fastest pitch to conclude a strikeout by any Major League starter this season.

YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
Albies' sixth-inning solo shot was his first homer since Aug. 12 and his first from the left side since July 11. The switch-hitting second baseman homered once every 20.1 at-bats as a left-handed hitter from March 29-July 11. Monday's home run was his first in a span of 99 at-bats against a right-handed pitcher dating back to July 12.
HE SAID IT
"That's baseball. They're elite players. They're great players, but they're not perfect."
-- Snitker, on Freeman, whose errant attempt to record an inning-ending forceout at second base allowed the Red Sox to tally two unearned runs against Jesse Biddle in the eighth
UP NEXT
Sean Newcomb will match up again against his favorite childhood team on Tuesday night, when the Braves and Red Sox resume their three-game series Tuesday at 7:35 p.m. ET at SunTrust Park. A Boston-area native, Newcomb issued four walks and lasted just three innings on May 26 at Fenway Park. He has a 5.88 ERA in 10 outings since the start of July. Boston will counter with Rick Porcello, who has a 5.62 ERA over his past 10 starts.