Tanner Houck breaking back into the Red Sox rotation
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| (Photo: Adam Glanzman/MLB) |
Contributing Writer
Tanner Houck is coming back to Boston faster than you might have expected and we can all thank the postponed game Monday against the Twins.
How does that work?
Well, it's a mix of logic and speculation, but follow along and see if you reach the same conclusion.
First off, we have been pretty clear that Houck is more than ready, but stuck in minor league purgatory due to being the only pitcher with options. It's a high crime to not be watching the best pitchers in your rotation due to the roster manipulations that make up a big league season, but it's what it is.
Until the currently schedule game for this Saturday.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves in our enthusiasm to see Houck pitch. Looking back to last week for the Twins series the following starting rotation was set:
- Martin Perez (Monday)
- Nathan Eovaldi (Tuesday)
- Eduardo Rodriquez (Wednesday)
- Garrett Richards (Thursday)
Due to non-baseball issues, the game Monday was postponed and a double header was set to make it up on Wednesday. That pushed Perez and his start to Tuesday, Eovaldi to game one on Wednesday, Rodriquez to game two on Wednesday, and finally Richards finished up on his originally planned game on Thursday.
Which then leads back to Fenway for the series with the White Sox:
- Nick Pivetta (Friday, tonight)
- ???? (Saturday)
- Perez (Sunday, on full five day rest)
- Eovaldi (Monday)
Then for the Blue Jays series:
From Richards onwards the Red Sox are back on track with their original five days rest for their starting rotation.
Did you see that set of question marks on the Saturday start? When asked by MLB.com, Alex Cora was hedging the call up by deflecting to possible bad weather tonight.
“We probably have to make a move, do something over the weekend,” said Cora. “We’ll wait. I know the weather doesn’t look too promising on Friday, so we’ll plan accordingly. We’ll plan ahead and be ready for whatever we have to do over the weekend. It’s going to be an interesting one schedule-wise, but so far it’s been a different type of schedule so we’ll prepare for it.”
Watch this one closely as this is the prime reason we hope, dare we expect, to see Houck on the mound in Fenway Park again? Over his last five starts for the Red Sox he's compiled a 1.17 ERA, 31 strikeouts over 23 innings pitched, and 10 walks. In his single start for the Red Sox this season Houck went 6 IP, 1 BB, 10 SO, 2 ER, 3.00 ERA.
Remember, he's in the minors to work on control and splitter, so expect to see him testing out that splitter if and when he's called up on Friday after the game.
The only thing that might throw a wrench in this scenario is if the weather, which is not projecting to be baseball weather according to CBS Boston:
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| (Photo: WBZ-TV graphic) |
They are saying that Friday is possible rain and snow tapering off, and by Saturday morning the last of the rain showers will move out.
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| (Photo: WBZ-TV graphic) |
Let's all cross your fingers for some baseball tonight in Fenway Park so that the Red Sox can call up Houck for that Saturday game agains the White Sox, shall we?
Post a comment or via twitter @erics_redsox with your thoughts.
