Alex Cora Not Buying This Theory About Tanner Houck’s Struggles

Tanner Houck represented the Red Sox at this year's Midsummer Classic, but he hasn't looked like an All-Star of late.

Houck allowed three earned runs or more in each of his last four starts, including six to the Rangers over five innings in Texas on Saturday. The right-hander also hasn't pitched beyond six frames in over a month, which obviously is a trend a club doesn't want to see for its ace.

Could fatigue be part of the reason why Houck is struggling? After all, the 28-year-old set a new season-high for innings last season with 106, and Saturday's outing brought him to 134 this year.

If you ask Alex Cora, the workload is not a problem.

"Not really," Cora told reporters after Boston's 7-4 loss to Texas. "I think today the pitches were really good. Obviously he's had some tough ones, but the slider was really good. It happened fairly quickly against the bottom of the order but I think he threw the ball well."

Like his manager, Houck focused on the positives after his latest underwhelming outing. The fifth-year pro was pleased with his pitch mix and thought he took "strides in the right direction."

The Red Sox now will turn to Nick Pivetta with hopes of winning their weekend series against the Rangers. NESN's complete coverage of the finale begins at 1:30 p.m. ET.