In a disappointing outing against the Rays, Red Sox starter Tanner Houck continued his struggles from spring training by allowing 12 runs, 11 earned runs, and 10 hits in just 1 2/3 innings. Houck, who has a 9.16 ERA in four starts, has been inconsistent with his delivery and has failed to induce many swings-and-misses on his pitches.
This marks the second time in a month that the Rays have shelled Houck, leading to speculation that they may have identified a flaw in his delivery that is tipping his pitches. However, both Houck and manager Alex Cora have denied any issues with tipping, attributing the struggles to poor execution and good hitting by Tampa.
The defeat drops the Red Sox to 8-10 for the season, with six losses in their past eight games. Their pitching staff ranks 23rd in ERA at 4.41. Despite the tough outing, Houck remains focused on improving and working through his issues.
In his postgame comments, Houck acknowledged the poor performance and vowed to come back the next day to figure things out. With the team facing challenges on both sides of the ball, the Red Sox will need to regroup quickly to turn their season around.
Source
Note: The image is for illustrative purposes only and is not the original image of the presented article.
