PHOENIX -- A week after Payton Tolle ’s sparkling debut at Fenway Park , when he went toe-to-toe with the great Paul Skenes, the 22-year-old lefty got a taste of how much of a roller-coaster acclimation to the Major Leagues can be, even for a top prospect.

Tolle labored from the outset on Friday night at Chase Field, throwing 78 pitches over just three innings as the Red Sox fell to the Diamondbacks, 10-5 , in the opener of a six-game road trip.

The defeat dropped manager Alex Cora’s team to 4 1/2 games behind the Blue Jays in the American League East while staying a half-game behind the Yankees for the top Wild Card spot .

It was just 14 months ago Tolle was selected with the 50th overall pick of the 2024 Draft. While that seemed hard to believe last week against the Pirates,

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