The Boston Red Sox approached the MLB All-Star break as one of the hottest teams, and starting pitcher Tanner Houck assured that wouldn’t change on Wednesday night.
Finishing off a three-game set with the Oakland Athletics at Fenway Park, Houck took the mound with both teams battling for a series victory after splitting the first two games. The 28-year-old provided the Red Sox with a stellar outing, which became just the latest example of Houck’s ongoing reliability this season.
“He’s our guy, right,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “Obviously left in the play, but you gotta trust him. You gotta trust him. We did it last year with him towards the end and he was very convincing, to say the least.”
Houck pitched six scoreless innings, allowing two hits to the Athletics while striking out six hitters and throwing 103 pitches. While the pitch count rose toward the end of Houck’s time on the hill, Cora felt the right-hander earned the trust and patience to finish off the frame.
“I wasn’t ready to take him out of the game, and he deserves that,” Cora added, per NESN. “I think he’s done an amazing job throughout the first part of the season.”
It’s been crystal clear how much Houck’s resurgence into becoming one of the most elite starting pitching arms in the league has translated. Boston improved to 9-1 in Houck’s last 10 starts after the 7-0 win over Oakland, which pushed the Red Sox within a 1 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the second wild card spot in the American League.
Houck simplified the secret behind the recent success.
“It was stick to the plan,” Houck explained, per NESN’s postgame coverage. “The last outing in New York, I just didn’t throw strikes. That’s ultimately what knocked me out. The outing before that, it was just missing too much middle. So with that being said, good adjustments during the game, good conversations with (Andrew Bailey) that entire time and just sticking to who I am and not really deviating from that.”
Here are more notes from Thursday night’s Red Sox-Athletics game:
— Boston notched its 10th shutout victory this season, which ranks 2nd in MLB.
— Houck improved to 8-6 following the win. The five-year veteran and first-time All-Star currently ranks first among all A.L. pitchers in home runs allowed (0.28) per game and fourth in quality starts (14) recorded.
— Masataka Yoshida went 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run and four RBIs. The 30-year-old notched his fourth-career four-RBI performance, the first since Aug. 18 of last season.
“Great teammates, great supporting staff. Everybody in the clubhouse working together for the win and I’m really glad to be part of that,” Yoshida said, as seen on NESN.
— Boston improved to an MLB-best 18-7 in its last 25 games.
— The Red Sox will next prepare to host the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park for a three-game series before entering the All-Star break. First pitch on Friday night is set for 7:10 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.
