Hallsville's Slaten Tosses Scoreless Inning in Boston Loss

Slaten Pitches Well in Loss

Hallsville High School graduate Eli Slaten made his Major League debut on Tuesday night, pitching a scoreless inning for the Boston Red Sox in their 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Slaten, a 24-year-old left-hander, was called up from Triple-A Worcester earlier in the day. He entered the game in the seventh inning with the Red Sox trailing 5-2.

Slaten retired the first two batters he faced on a groundout and a strikeout. He then walked the next batter, but got out of the inning with a flyout to center field.

Slaten's Fastball Tops Out at 97 MPH

Slaten's fastball topped out at 97 mph and he also threw aチェンジアップ and aスライダー. He threw 17 pitches, 11 of which were strikes.

Slaten's outing was a bright spot in an otherwise tough night for the Red Sox. The team has now lost three straight games and is 6-12 on the season.

Slaten's Future with Red Sox

Slaten's performance on Tuesday night could earn him more opportunities with the Red Sox. The team is in need of starting pitching help and Slaten could be a candidate to fill that role.