Why Red Sox Pitcher Tanner Houck Shouldn’t Overthink Slump

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Tanner Houck hasn’t found his stride this season.

Houck’s ongoing struggles on the mound, which date back to spring training, struck the right-hander during Monday night’s 14-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers. Houck allowed nine runs off 11 hits (including two home runs) and three walks across 2 1/3 innings before it was time for Boston’s bullpen to take over. The 28-year-old noted he felt “lost” afterward, and the team placed Houck on the 15-day injured list with a flexor pronator strain in his right forearm. However, it’s no reason to panic, which ex-Red Sox third baseman and 2013 World Series champion Will Middlebrooks explained.

“If you’re around the league long enough, you go through tough stretches,” Middlebrooks said on NESN’s “Boston Has Entered The Chat” podcast. “You go through stretches — maybe not like this — but think about Rafael Devers. He started 0-for-19 with 15 strikeouts, arguably the worst start all-time by a hitter.”

Middlebrooks added: “I’ve been there. I’ve been in those tough stretches where you feel like you’re never gonna feel like how you feel at the plate or on the mound, or defensively and this is just part of the rollercoaster that is Major League Baseball. It’s the ebbs and flows, the ups and downs and you have to do your best to be even keel.”

So far, Houck has gone 0-3 with an 8.04 ERA across nine starts. He’s only reached the sixth inning twice, has allowed at least one home run in seven of those starts and Houck has been tagged for 11 earned runs two times already. It’s a drastic downward trend since the 29-year-old first-career All-Star campaign last season.

You can watch the full episode of NESN’s “Boston Has Entered The Chat” here: