My goodness, yes. Tough because he delivers. Tough because he gets little support--tonight was an exception--from the hitters. And tough because the defensive saboteurs are always lurking. That bad throw by Devers to 2b was pure inattention.Originally Posted by SPLENDIDSPLINTER
Houck goes 7, giving up 1, and now has an ERA of 1.85, but is just 5-5.
Looks like Rafaela is going to keep that rbi lead a while longer. That he is doing so from the 9 spot in the lineup is remarkable.
Sox back up to .500.
However, tomorrow it's Criswell (ERA 3.96) vs. Olson (ERA 1.92), so big edge to the Tigers.
Also tough because he got hit in his pitching forearm by 101 mph come backer and he stayed in the game.
The Red Sox management will be regretting that they did not get a deal done with Houch when they have discussed contracts in recent years, as with the new level he has reached, he’s now a LOT more expensive to extend.
That's true, but I don't know how they were supposed to see this coming, either. The last couple of years he hasn't been that good or that durable.
These are not easy calls to make.
Championships since purchase by John Henry group: Red Sox 4 Yankees 1
The Red Sox are 8-1 in their last 9 postseason games against the Yankees.
Agreed, but we obviously thought we didn’t need more than Giolito, so they must have had some faith in him.
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
I'm sure they had high hopes. I think that would apply to most of their moves and non-moves.
Houck has been fantastic, that much is indisputable, and I'm sure Bailey and the rest of the pitching brain trust get a lot of credit for that.
Championships since purchase by John Henry group: Red Sox 4 Yankees 1
The Red Sox are 8-1 in their last 9 postseason games against the Yankees.
This begs the question on our past pitching gurus. Did we have other Houcks in the past, but bumbled their development and choice of pitching strategy?
We’ve heard a lot about how poorly our system has been at acquiring and developing young pitchers, but now, we seem to have a few very promising arms. Most are the same guys we had before, when we said we sucked.
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
Giolito should opt out, since he blew out his elbow under Bailey's tutelage. And that way, the Red Sox can add another $19 million to any extension offers for Houck.
Really hard to say. Bailey seems to be pretty elite at what he does. But he's not a miracle-worker, either. A lot of this might just be Houck reaching maturity and being 100% healthy.
Championships since purchase by John Henry group: Red Sox 4 Yankees 1
The Red Sox are 8-1 in their last 9 postseason games against the Yankees.
And Saturday’s lineup has Dom Smith hitting third. I’ll have to find something else to do.
The King of TalkSox has Spoken.
Houck always has the stuff to succeed. Let’s hope that he is durable. He could be a good #1.
The King of TalkSox has Spoken.
Commentary from the cheap seats. They didn't get a deal done with Houch because he was never on the Sox roster.
As for Houck, as recently as last season there were discussions about whether he could successfully face a lineup a third time--to say nothing of the fact that last year his ERA was 5.01 in 21 starts.
This year he's like he ducked into a phone booth and emerged as SuperHouck. His repertoire is bigger and his pitches are way sharper. And his ERA is an insane 1.85.
Fairly amazing that the one starting pitcher Breslow signs turns out to be the one who never pitches even one inning in competition for the Sox.
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