Positives have found their way to this club as June begins. A solid winning streak or two is a solid foundation to build on. Rafael Devers has settled in, with a recent six-game home run streak to his credit. Connor Wong and Wilyer Abreu are enjoying decent starts to the season. Beset by injuries in key spots in the lineup and rotation, the Red Sox being labeled as average is above the line, all things considered.
Among the shiny performances, pitcher Tanner Houck has been a gem among the rest.
Houck (5-5) dazzled again on Friday night in Boston, scattering three hits and one earned run in seven innings of work. The Red Sox won 7-3 behind a 2-HR, 5-RBI night from Ceddanne Rafaela and Houck's performance, where he struck out six and lowered his ERA to 1.85.
This performance closed out the month of May strong, capping a wonderful start to the season for Houck, who settled into the dominant role expected when he first arrived.
Houck: Ace status
Houck arrived with fanfare towards the end of the 2020 COVID-19 shortened season, dominating with a 3-0 record with 21 strikeouts and a 0.53 ERA. Signs were in place for Houck becoming a rotation mainstay for seasons to come.
Except the Red Sox spent the better part of two years trying to figure out exactly where to slot Houck.
Since 2020, he bounced between starter, reliever, and starter again, until the 2023 season. Last year, Houck was made a full-time starter, where he went 6-10 with a 5.01 ERA.
Even heading into this season there was no guarantee Houck was going to be used as a starting pitcher.
Houck earned a spot and responded with a brilliant beginning. In his fifth season, Houck is second in the American League in ERA and fourth in MLB. He has 75 strikeouts and 15 walks. More impressive is that Houck has allowed only one home run in 12 starts.
Houck's two shortest outings so far in '24 have each lasted 5.2 innings. Every other start? At least six innings pitched, including a complete game victory over Cleveland in which he struck out nine and allowed only three hits.
There was a struggle during Houck's first three starts of May, where he allowed 17 hits and 10 runs. But Houck closed strong, pitching 20 innings in his last three starts, allowing 12 hits and only two runs.
Buoyed by pitching coach Andrew Bailey, Houck and the pitching staff, especially the rotation, has been a surprise in the season's first two months.
Surprise rotation success
The rotation has tapered off some in the last two weeks but in the first two months, the rotation was a main reason the Red Sox were winning games. Or, at the very least, giving Boston a chance to be competitive.
A big bummer is the season-ending injury to Garrett Whitlock. Whitlock gave the Red Sox a nice one, two punch with Houck, making four starts and posting a 1.96 ERA before the injury.
Kutter Crawford (2-4, 3.29 ERA) was also giving a fine performance but has struggled in his last two outings. Crawford in these two starts has pitched 10.1 innings while giving up 11 runs and 11 hits (in both instances, old habits crept in, where Crawford pitched decent except for one horrible inning).
Brayan Bello (6-2, 4.18 ERA) is on track to still be the ace of this franchise but has struggled somewhat since missing a couple of starts. Despite some hiccups, Bello has won his last two starts with victories over the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays.
It's been nice to also have Nick Pivetta back and Cooper Criswell has provided valuable innings.
A real test for this group will come in the coming weeks where they play host for six straight to the two best teams (and offenses) in baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees each have 40 wins, with the Phillies the top scoring team. Seeing these starting pitchers succeed against these two clubs will go a long way in determining what to expect as the season plays out.
Keeping the rotation intact and performing well will also be important as the Red Sox get healthy. First baseman Triston Casas should be back later in June and outfielder/DH Masataka Yoshida is taking live batting practice and should be back in the near future, too.
All told, average is pleasant enough at this point in the season. Find more consistency (and less games of three runs or less), and this Red Sox team can stay competitive throughout '24. Especially if Houck keeps coming up aces and continues his pursuit of excellence.
photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
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