The right-hander racked up six strikeouts on the evening and didn’t walk a batter. The lone tally against him came on a solo home run off the bat of Daulton Varsho in the seventh inning. Houck exited with the Red Sox leading 2-1 and in line for a victory, but the bullpen was unable to oblige. He generated 11 swings and misses on 86 pitches on the night, registering a CSW of 26 percent. He’ll see if he can build off of this fine performance as he totes a 6.38 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and a 30/12 K/BB ratio (36 2/3 innings) into Wednesday’s matchup against the Rangers.

Houck managed to avert total disaster and give Boston’s bullpen a break by completing five frames in the front-end of Saturday’s doubleheader at Progressive Field. Things were looking shaky early on when he surrendered five hits in a disastrous four-run opening frame, but he managed to settle in afterwards, somehow keeping Cleveland off the scoreboard over his final four innings of work. He struck out six and only handed out one free pass. He’s managed to rebound slightly with a pair of respectable outings against the White Sox and Guardians after getting obliterated for 12 runs in a loss to the Rays back on April 14. He’ll try to keep the momentum going when he faces the Blue Jays on Thursday in a road start.

Houck allowed a walk and two hits, including a two-run home run, in the first inning, and it seemed like he was on the road to another brutal start. However, the 28-year-old settled down from there, allowing just one hit in five shutout innings while striking out seven, walking two, and leaving with a 4-2 lead that the bullpen would squander. Houck looked a little bit closer to the starter we saw in the first half of the 2024 season, posting a 30 percent whiff rate and 34 percent CSW. This sinker pounded the strike zone, and the sweeper missed plenty of bats, which was enough for today. Things will get a little tougher next week against the Guardians where Houck is not a recommended start.

It’s difficult to describe how badly Houck is struggling right now. He was knocked around for a staggering 10 hits in this one, including home runs by veteran Yandy Díaz and rookie Kameron Misner, as he melted down in truly spectacular fashion on Monday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field. He notched only one strikeout, issued two walks and was pulled after just 61 pitches (36 strikes). The 28-year-old righty has recorded two strikeouts or fewer in three of his four starts to open the year and holds a calamitous 9.16 ERA, 1.93 WHIP and 11/9 K/BB ratio across 18 2/3 innings. He’s clearly better than this, but taking some time to reset mentally might not be a bad idea.