Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Tanner Houck looked like an ace through the first four innings against the Seattle Mariners on Monday night at Fenway Park.
If only it could stay that way for the talented right-handed pitcher.
The deeper Houck goes into ball games, the less and less he looks like himself. The Mariners touched up Houck for four earned runs on five hits over the final inning-plus that he worked -- Houck didn't record an out in the sixth -- which was just the beginning of a Seattle offensive onslaught in a 10-1 loss for the Red Sox. It's certainly a troubling trend for Houck, who has lost three out of his last four starts, and one that has him searching for answers.
"If I had an answer we wouldn't be talking about it," Houck told reporters as seen on NESN postgame coverage. "But it's an ongoing conversation with (pitching coach Dave Bush). Continue to develop. I feel like later innings are getting better with more experience and continuing to work with it. It's one of those things where just continue to go out there, continue to work in-between starts and push myself to be better."
Houck retired the first 11 batters he faced before he began to unravel. While Houck looks to correct the issue, he believes his approach isn't causing the problem.
"The mindset all the way through the game is go out there, strike one, strike two, get ahead of hitters and go right after them," Houck said. "I think anyone here is going to preach that. It's about stopping the big inning and continuing to go on the attack. But no, I wouldn't say my mindset changes at all."
With the Red Sox having a crowded starting rotation, Houck could find himself headed to the bullpen in the future. But for now, Red Sox manager Alex Cora is determined to help him through his later-inning struggles.
"I don't know (on) adjustments, but I think the stuff is still the same," Cora told reporters, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. "We keep talking about throwing your best pitches as much as possible, especially late in the outing. Just one of those that we got to keep working. Keep helping him to get better. That's the bottom line."
Here are more notes from Monday's Red Sox-Mariners game:
-- The loss wasn't the only blow the Red Sox were dealt. Reliever John Schreiber left with two outs in the top of the seventh during the middle of an at-bat with Julio RodrÃguez due to right lat tightness. Schreiber had a long discussion with Cora and a trainer before finally walking off the mound and out of the game.
"He was a little banged up last week," Cora said. "He bounced back and probably an IL. We'll make sure (to) take care of it. Hopefully he's ready as soon as the stint is over."
-- Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh made history with his offensive showing in the win. The switch-hitting Raleigh smacked a two-run home run from each side of the plate, becoming the first catcher to ever accomplish the feat at Fenway Park, according to the Mariners.
-- Alex Verdugo wasn't doing much celebrating on the diamond even though he turned 27 on Monday. Verdugo went 1-for-4, but missed a big opportunity with the Red Sox down four runs in the bottom of the seventh. He came to the plate with the bases loaded, but hit a weak pop-up to third base to end the inning. He also committed an error in the loss.
-- Pablo Reyes got the start at shortstop with Kiké Hernández nursing an injury, but his night ended on the mound. Just acquired last week from the Oakland Athletics, the Red Sox trotted the position player to the mound in the top of the ninth with the game already out of hand. Reyes' first pitch clocked in at 34.4 mph, which is the 13th slowest pitch in the pitch-tracking era, according to The Boston Globe's Alex Speier.
"He faced JT (Justin Turner) at some point two years, three years ago," Cora said. "He was like, 'He did that to me and then he threw a fastball at 75 (mph).' ... That's the worst feeling as a manager because you don't want that kid to get hurt. But that's where we were in the game and obviously we're banged up in the bullpen, trying to stay away from some guys. You got to tip your cap to him. He took one for the team and we appreciate that."
Reyes allowed one run on two hits while also surrendering two walks. He had much more success in the field making a couple of strong defensive plays and at the plate, where he went 2-for-4.
-- It has been an ugly two-day stretch for the Red Sox, who have been outscored a combined 19-2 in that stretch. Boston's offense is going through a power outage as the Red Sox have just five runs over their last three games.
-- The Red Sox and Mariners will face off again Tuesday from Fenway Park. First pitch of the middle game in the three-game set is slated for 7:10 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
