TANNER HOUCK NEWS

Escapes with third save Houck gave up a run on two hits with one strikeout in one-third of an inning Friday to record his third save of the season in a 6-5 win over the Cardinals.

Impact Boston led 6-1 heading into the ninth inning, but after Austin Davis made a mess of things with two outs, Houck got the call and barely escaped the jam, serving up back-to-back doubles to Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan before finally striking out Paul Goldschmidt. Houck has converted three straight save chances since being moved into a high-leverage relief role, while Friday's run was the first on his ledger since May 15. Out of the bullpen this season, the right-hander has a 3.08 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 29:9 K:BB through 26.1 innings, and he may be the guy to bring some stability to the Red Sox closing picture.

JUNE 18, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Wacha sharp, Red Sox hold off Cardinals' rally in 9th

Michael Wacha pitched neatly into the sixth inning against his former team and the Boston Red Sox held off the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5

JUNE 18, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Logs second save of weekend Houck saved Sunday's 2-0 win against the Mariners, striking out one in a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Impact Houck needed just eight pitches to notch his second save in as many appearances and is primed to receive more opportunities ahead with fellow closer Hansel Robles blowing a save Saturday. The 25-year-old has fired 16 scoreless innings across his eight appearances -- all in relief -- with 16 strikeouts and four walks in the span. Houck's lowered his seasonal ERA from 5.40 to 3.38 with the impressive stretch and should continue to see a high-leverage role in Boston's bullpen.

JUNE 13, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Rafael Devers' late home run lifts Red Sox over Mariners 2-0

Rafael Devers hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning, spot starter Kutter Crawford and five relievers combined on a one-hitter, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 2...

JUNE 12, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Red Sox interested in seeing if righthander Tanner Houck can claim the closer's role - The Boston Globe After Houck came out of the bullpen to protect a 4-3 lead Friday night in Seattle, Sox manager Alex Cora would prefer to use him two or thre...

JUNE 11, 2022 • BOSTONGLOBE.COM

Shaky in first save Houck allowed a hit and hit a batter while striking out two in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 4-3 win over the Mariners.

Impact Houck needed 22 pitches (13 strikes) to get through the frame, but he was able to escape with his first save of the campaign. The right-hander has seen a versatile role throughout the year, but manager Alex Cora is committed to giving him a look in high-leverage relief situations going forward. Through 41.2 innings in 15 appearances (four starts), Houck has a 3.46 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 40:16 K:BB. With Hansel Robles back from the injured list Thursday, the back end of the Red Sox's bullpen is likely to grow increasingly crowded until a favorite for saves emerges.

JUNE 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Martinez, Dalbec homers power Red Sox past Mariners 4-3

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JUNE 11, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

New role taking shape Houck (4-3) allowed one hit and one walk while striking out three over two scoreless inning to pick up the extra-inning win over the Angels on Tuesday.

Impact After giving up a leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth inning, Houck bore down to shepherd the game into an extra frame. He induced a pop-out, a swinging strikeout, then got Jo Adell looking at a filthy slider. It was his sixth straight scoreless appearance. After serving as a piggyback starter for Rich Hill, Houck has made four consecutive relief appearances of two innings or fewer, as manager Alex Cora is giving him a new role. "That's what we're looking for," Cora said about Houck's two scoreless innings to Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. "We're going to use him in high-leverage situations. We'll try to avoid the 4-inning, 3-inning stints. The maximum he'll go is two (innings). Kind of like the way we used Garrett (Whitlock) last year. He's been throwing the ball great for us... His stuff is really good late in games." Houck may be a stabilizing presence in a bullpen that desperately needs one. This could be a role the eventually involves save opportunities.

JUNE 8, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Angels lose 13th straight after firing Maddon; Trout injured

The Los Angeles Angels matched a franchise record with their 13th straight defeat hours after firing manager Joe Maddon, falling 6-5 to the streaking Boston Red Sox on Christian Vá...

JUNE 8, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pivetta wins 5th straight, Red Sox thump Athletics 8-0

Nick Pivetta pitched two-hit ball over seven innings to win his fifth consecutive start and the Boston Red Sox beat the Oakland Athletics 8-0

JUNE 4, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Throws three relief innings Houck allowed three hits and walked two while striking out three over three scoreless innings in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the White Sox.

Impact Houck, who opened the season in the starting rotation, has since been used primarily as a piggyback reliever for No. 5 starter Rich Hill. After a brief two-game shaky stretch, Houck has allowed one run on five hits and four walks while striking out nine over 10 innings in his relief role. That's lowered his ERA to 4.28, but the right-hander continues to flirt with men on base; he's walked 15 and hit three batters over 33.2 innings.

MAY 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Tanner Houck delivered a sterling effort in relief of struggling starter Rich Hill - The Boston Globe Houck made the longest relief appearance of his career with four scoreless innings and recorded six strikeouts, his most in relief.

MAY 20, 2022 • BOSTONGLOBE.COM

Earns third win Houck (3-3) allowed one hit and one walk while striking out six across four scoreless innings to earn the win Thursday against the Mariners.

Impact Houck entered the game in the third inning after a short outing from Rich Hill. Having allowed 11 earned runs across his last eight frames entering Thursday, Houck turned in one of his better performances of the season by inducing nine swinging strikes across 58 pitches. After the game, Houck discussed utilizing a new slider grip, per Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican, which could help him earn better results moving forward. Houck owns a 4.70 ERA with a 29:13 K:BB across 30.2 innings on the campaign.

MAY 20, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Story hits 3 homers for Red Sox in 12-6 win over Mariners

Trevor Story had three homers, four hits and seven RBIs to help the Boston Red Sox rally from a four-run deficit to beat the Seattle Mariners 12-6

MAY 20, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lasts three innings Sunday Houck allowed a run on a hit and a walk in three relief innings during Sunday's loss to the Rangers.

Impact The right-hander worked behind opener Austin Davis during Sunday's matchup, marking the fourth time he's pitched out of the bullpen in his last five appearances. Manager Alex Cora hasn't provided a clear reason for keeping Houck in a bullpen role, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him continue to work as a reliever since Michael Wacha (side) is expected to return next weekend. Houck has posted a 5.40 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 26.2 innings over eight appearances (four starts) this season.

MAY 16, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

García, Calhoun each hit 2 homers, Rangers beat Red Sox 7-1

Adolis García and Kole Calhoun each hit two home runs, Martin Perez pitched six strong innings and the Texas Rangers beat the Boston Red Sox 7-1 on Sunday

MAY 15, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Expected to follow opener With the Red Sox to open with Austin Davis on Sunday, Houck is expected to follow as the bulk-inning pitcher, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Impact Houck hasn't pitched since last Sunday, so he has plenty of bullets to expend. The reasoning behind starting Davis over Houck was not made clear by manager Alex Cora, who would only confirm that Houck is healthy.

MAY 15, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Boston Red Sox go with Austin Davis (not Tanner Houck) to start Sunday's game vs. Rangers Austin Davis will start for the Red Sox on Sunday. It marks his first start since 2016 for High-A Clearwater.

MAY 15, 2022 • MASSLIVE.COM

Dealt third loss Houck (2-3) was charged with the loss Sunday against the White Sox after surrendering three runs on four hits with two strikeouts and zero walks over 2.2 innings.

Impact The 25-year-old was pressed into starting duty with Michael Wacha (side) a late scratch, and he was pitching on two days' rest after throwing 56 pitches Thursday. Manager Alex Cora recently declared that Houck would be working out of the bullpen for the foreseeable future, but he could move back into the rotation with Wacha on the 15-day IL and Rich Hill (illness) on the COVID-19 IL,

MAY 8, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Abreu gets 2-run double; White Sox complete sweep over BoSox

Dallas Keuchel halted his three-start losing streak with six solid innings, José Abreu hit a two-run double and the Chicago White Sox beat the Boston Red Sox 3-2 for their season-h...

MAY 8, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Making spot start Sunday Houck is listed as the Red Sox's starting pitcher for Sunday's game against the White Sox, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Impact On Saturday, manager Alex Cora confirmed that Houck would remain in the bullpen for the foreseeable future with Garrett Whitlock having earned a spot in the rotation, but the team will be forced to adjust its plans just one day later after Sunday's scheduled starter, Michael Wacha, was scratched due to side soreness. An MRI on Wacha's side returned clean, and while the Red Sox are optimistic he won't require a trip to the injured list, Houck will be summoned from the bullpen to make a spot start in his stead. Don't expect Houck to work deep into Sunday's outing, as he'll be pitching on only two days' rest after he piggybacked Rich Hill in Thursday's loss to the Angels and gave up seven runs across 2.1 innings (56 pitches) in that long-relief appearance.

MAY 8, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Stuck in bullpen Houck will remain in the bullpen for the foreseeable future, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

Impact Houck made three starts to open the year before shifting to the bullpen for his next three appearances. With Rich Hill out after testing positive for COVID-19, there's a path for Houck to return to the rotation, but that job will go to Garrett Whitlock instead. Houck has fallen far short of the standards he set last season, with his ERA rising from 3.52 to 5.14, and his underlying numbers have taken similarly large steps back across the board. If he sorts things out in a multi-inning relief role, it's certainly possible he'll return to the rotation before too long, but his fantasy appeal will be greatly diminished until that happens.

MAY 7, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Tagged with loss Houck (2-2) picked up the loss Thursday, allowing seven runs on five hits, one walk and a hit batsman while striking out four over 2.1 innings against the Angels.

Impact Houck's second turn as a piggyback pitcher behind Rich Hill did not go as well as his first. After Hill's five scoreless innings, Houck allowed a two-run home run to Jared Walsh in the seventh inning then was raked for five runs in the eighth. It's unclear what the next step is for Houck, who opened the season in the rotation but pitched in relief since missing a turn in Toronto due to his unvaccinated status. What is becoming clear is that Boston can't afford to leave Garrett Whitlock in the rotation -- he's much more valuable in the bullpen, which is seriously underperforming (4.50 ERA, 25th) -- so Houck could return to the rotation as a traditional starter.

MAY 6, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Ohtani fans 11 in his Fenway pitching debut, Angels win 8-0

Shohei Ohtani struck out 11 over seven shutout innings, had two hits and drove in a run in the Los Angeles Angels’ 8-0 win over the Boston Red Sox

MAY 5, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rotation decision due on how to best utilize Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck on Texas trip - The Boston Globe Red Sox manager Alex Cora weighing how to best use Whitlock and Houck -- as a starter or reliever -- to promote better stability within the...

MAY 5, 2022 • BOSTONGLOBE.COM