Red Sox Notes: Boston Facing Major Question Entering All-Star Break

BOSTON — The Red Sox had to know it wasn’t going to last forever.

Tanner Houck entered Saturday’s eventual loss to the San Diego Padres with a legitimate case to start for the American League in the 2024 MLB All-Star game. He left with questions about how he’d handle entering uncharted territory.

Houck reached a new career high in innings pitched against San Diego, sitting at 107 2/3 through 17 starts on the season. It’s all coming on rather quickly, too, as no one in Boston expected him to carry this large of a load entering the season.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora is aware that he’s asking a lot out of the 28-year-old, but believes there isn’t too much to worry about moving forward.

“He’s strong. He’s diligent in his work, very consistent,” Cora told reporters postgame. “He’s got a loose body. His delivery is a lot cleaner than it was in the past. We have a lot of information, and so far his strength is still there.”

Houck believes he’ll be fine, giving a description of his start many pitchers before him also have.

“I just left too many pitches middle,” Houck said. “… I just kinda sucked.”

Here are more notes from Saturday’s matchup between the Red Sox and Padres:

— Manny Machado didn’t take kindly to a “dirty player” chant started by one fan in the grandstands at Fenway Park, immediately parking a home run into the monster seats as the gentleman was being escorted out of the building.

Machado added another blast a couple innings later, securing his 40th career multi-homer game.

Manny Machado goes yard again! pic.twitter.com/JyNKlc1ftH

— MLB (@MLB) June 29, 2024

— Bailey Horn made his big league debut against San Diego, collecting two strikeouts and giving up two runs in 2 2/3 innings.

— The Red Sox might want to figure out their fifth-inning woes, as they’ve allowed 15 runs in the frame over the last two days. It’s also the fourth consecutive game in which they’ve allowed four or more runs in a single inning.

— Dominic Smith came on to pitch in the ninth inning, recording three outs without giving up a run.

“It was a little nerve-racking, because you don’t realize how close you really are,” Smith admitted postgame.

— The Red Sox will wrap their three-game set against the Padres on Sunday. It’ll be the final meeting between the two clubs this season, with first pitch scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET, following an hour of pregame coverage on NESN.