Boston Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck hasn't had a smooth time during spring training.
With manager Alex Cora confirming Houck's place as the No. 3 starter in Boston's rotation, the 26-year-old is getting a chance to fulfill the role he desired this offseason. But in preparing to take on the responsibility of a full-time starter in 2023, Houck has encountered a series of rough outings.
Yet, his confidence remains in place with Opening Day just three days away, which he revealed when asked if he could turn things around.
"Absolutely, when the lights flip on Sunday and the lights flip on Thursday, you'll see the flyover and you'll know it's go time and everyone's off to the races so it's coming fast," Houck said Monday, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com.
During Monday's contest against the Atlanta Braves, Houck's preseason struggles continued. He allowed six earned runs off five base hits -- including three home runs -- through three innings and also yielded two walks with four strikeouts.
That marked Houck's second consecutive outing of allowing three home runs. And with six appearances this spring in the books, the right-hander has given up nine homers. Houck has also allowed at least one round-tripper in four of those outings.
"In this game, you kind of have to have the mind of a gold fish in Ted Lasso terms if anyone knows that (reference)," Houck said, per Browne. "But yeah, it's part of the game. I've got an outing six days from now and I can only worry about that."
Houck notched a 9.74 ERA with 22 earned runs allowed through 20 1/3 spring training innings pitched. With the structure of Boston's current rotation, Cora will send Houck to the mound during the season's opening series against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park.
