Red Sox’s Tanner Houck Makes Alarming (And Unsurprising) Admission

It’s time for both Tanner Houck and the Red Sox to start thinking about a change.

One year after earning the first All-Star Game bid of his career, Houck looks completely lost through nine starts.

Houck has arguably been the worst starting pitcher in baseball through the first quarter of the season. He bottomed out Monday night in Detroit, where the Tigers tagged him for 11 earned runs on nine hits in just 2 1/3 innings. It’s the second time in his last six starts that Houck has surrendered 11 earned.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora acknowledged the club must consider moving Houck to the bullpen at this point, especially once Walker Buehler rejoins the rotation from injury. At this point, it might be in Houck’s best interest.

The right-hander is in the wilderness.

“This is definitely probably the most lost I’ve ever been,” Houck admitted to reporters after the game, per MLB.com. “And just not getting the job done, which weighs on me heavily.”

Houck insists he’s not hurt, and if that is the case, it makes his struggles even more puzzling. It’s hard to believe that at this point, this is the same pitcher who had a 1.85 ERA through the end of May just one season ago.

The biggest issue right now is an inability to retire left-handed hitters. Lefties are hitting a whopping .378 with a 1.104 OPS off the Red Sox right-hander, while right-handers are at .247 and .691 against him.

Maybe moving him into the bullpen where it would be easier to control his at-bats would be the smart play, but Houck just needs to pitch better and get hitters on both sides out at a higher frequency if Boston is going to build and sustain some momentum.

Houck’s fate might ultimately depend on Buehler, who could return for next week’s series against the New York Mets.