BOSTON — Instant reactions from the Red Sox’ 4-2 loss to Pittsburgh at Fenway Park:

1) By any measure except the final score, Payton Tolle’s major league debut was a rousing success. Tolle gave the Red Sox 5.1 innings and allowed two runs on three hits. But that doesn’t begin to tell the story of the rookie’s night. He fanned eight, walked two and blanked the Pirates with seeming ease over the first five innings. In the sixth, with one out, he allowed a soft liner to left and then a ground single through the hole and was lifted after that. He showed good command and there wasn’t a single hard-hit ball off him for his first major league start.

2) And then there was the other guy: Paul Skenes, who very much pitched to his reputation as an ace, limiting the Red Sox to a single earned run – a Roman Anthony leadoff homer into the right field seats in the fifth — over seven innings, allowing seven hits along the way. In his first career start at Fenway, Skenes skillfully pitched out of what little trouble he encountered. The Sox’ other best scoring chance came in the third when an error and a single by Anthony gave them runners at first and second with no out. But Skenes used a double play and a flyout to escape the jam.

3) Romy Gonzalez, who provided the go-ahead run-scoring single in Baltimore to achieve the sweep of the Orioles, continues to wield a hot bat. He had three hits — singles in the second, fourth and sixth, all against Skenes. Traditionally, of course, Gonzalez does his best work against lefties, but Friday, he strung together three consecutive quality at-bats against a righty — and one of the best pitchers in the game, at that.

4) Speed intimidates. That much was evident in the fourth inning and helped the Red Sox to a run. The Sox had two baserunners on when Ceddanne Rafaela hit a tapper to the left of the mound. Skenes attempted to glove it, but the ball deflected softly off his glove. Third baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa barehanded the ball, and knowing Rafael’s speed, made an off-balance, hurried to throw to first which sailed wide of first baseman Liover Peguero, resulting in an unearned run as Masataka Yoshida scored from second base.

5) Alex Bregman continues to shine at third base. Bregman made a backhand stab of a hard-hit ball off the bat of Tommy Pham for the second out in the fourth, scampering to his feet quickly to make a strong throw to first to record the out.

6) Justin Slaten’s first appearance since May 28 was, perhaps predictably, a bit shaky. Entering in the top of the seventh, he allowed a leadoff single to Oneil Cruz, who was then erased on a double play. But Slaten then issued a two-out walk to Jared Triolo and a single to Nick Gonzales before fanning Bryan Reynolds to end the threat.

7) It’s hard to know what the Red Sox should do with Jordan Hicks, who now sports a 6.43 ERA. Obviously, the Red Sox aren’t using him in high leverage spots out of the bullpen. But trailing by just a run in the eighth, Hicks entered and allowed two hits and a sacrifice bunt for an important insurance run.

8) Basic fundamentals can still haunt the Red Sox. In the seventh, with Rafaela on with a leadoff single, Connor Wong tried to get a bunt down to move the runner into scoring position. But the decision backfired when Wong popped up a pitch in foul territory that reliever Dauri Moreta raced in to snare for the first out.

9). In the middle game of a the three-game weekend set, it will be RHP Dustin May (7-10, 4.79) vs. RHP Johan Oviedo (1-0, 3.60) at 4:10 p.m. at Fenway Park.

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