Prior to the rainout, Payton Tolle was in line for the start, a day after Connelly Early threw a career-high seven shutout innings and the late-game duo of Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door for a 2-0 win.
It was Boston’s MLB-leading sixth shutout of the season.
“It’s easy (to push a young starter seven innings deep) when they’re pitching that way,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said of the 24-year-old Early.
Tolle worked seven innings in his most recent outing, limiting the Tigers to two unearned runs on one hit and striking out eight en route to his first big-league win on Monday.
Tolle’s only start at Fenway Park this season was dominant, as he fanned 11 and allowed one run over six innings against the Yankees on April 23.
Tolle will toe the rubber on the two-year anniversary of the passing of his mother, Jina.
Saturday will mark his first career start against the Rays, although he made one relief appearance against them last season.
The Red Sox now are tied with Baltimore for fourth place in the AL East after winning four of their last five games.
“Like I said early in the year, it’s just a matter of time for everybody to get back to the rhythm and the timing,” Wilyer Abreu said. “The results are coming. Everybody can see it.”
RAYS (25-13): Simpson LF, Caminero 3B, Williamson 2B, Diaz DH, Vilade 1B, Mullins CF, DeLuca RF, Fortes C, Walls SS
Pitching: RHP Nick Martinez (3-1, 1.71 ERA)
RED SOX (17-22): Duran LF, Contreras 1B, Abreu RF, Yoshida DH, Story SS, Gasper C, Mayer 2B, Rafaela CF, Durbin 3B
Pitching: LHP Payton Tolle (1-1, 2.04 ERA)
Time: 4:10 p.m.
TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7
Rays vs. Tolle: Nick Fortes 1-1
Red Sox vs. Martinez: Wilyer Abreu 1-3, Willson Contreras 3-7, Jarren Duran 1-4, Caleb Durbin 1-3, Isiah Kiner-Falefa 2-6, Marcelo Mayer 1-3, Andruw Monasterio 1-3, Ceddanne Rafaela 1-4, Trevor Story 3-3, Connor Wong 1-4, Masataka Yoshida 1-1
Stat of the day: The Rays have gone a franchise-record 15 consecutive games without allowing more than three earned runs.
Notes: Friday’s loss snapped the Rays’ seven-game winning streak and marked only their second setback in 15 games. … They had also been 7-0 against AL East foes. … Nick Martinez has been victorious in three straight starts, allowing just two runs in 20 innings. … Martinez is 1-3 with a 5.80 ERA in nine career appearances (five starts) against the Red Sox.
Cam Kerry can be reached at cam.kerry@globe.com.
