Rich Hill has no regrets
The Red Sox still aren't mathematically eliminated, although the math, as Alex Cora can attest, is getting a bit funky.
"The math, I wasn't great at it. I was a good baseball player at Miami," said the Sox manager after his team's 4-1 win against the Blue Jays Monday night. "Just win tomorrow and see where we’re at and finish strong. That's the goal. And overall, we'll talk about it whenever we're done. We set our sights to make it to the playoffs and it's a very slim chance to make it. So we’ve just got to keep playing good baseball."
It doesn't take Albert Einstein to decipher the problem with the Red Sox' current equation. They have five games left and sit 3 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot with two teams still in front of them also trying to get in.
In other words, while it's fine to dare to dream, where the reality is truly rooted is conversations regarding 2025. That's certainly should have been the jumping off point for analysis of Tanner Houck.
After Houck's five-inning outing against the Jays, in which he allowed just one hit and not a single run in throwing 57 pitches, it was time for reflection. The satisfaction that has come with this 30-start season has now led to optimism regarding what lays ahead for both the pitcher and his team.
"To get the 30th one under my belt, I don't think I've ever done it even in the Minor Leagues," Houck told reporters in Toronto. “So, it is a huge step forward. I can kind of say that ever since I reached my [personal record] in innings this year. So it's been a lot of fun. I feel like I've grown a lot as an individual on and off the baseball field this year."
Tanner Houck opens up about his quest for 200 innings
Houck is scheduled for one more appearance, coming on the final day of the regular season. But it's fair to already paint the picture of the 28-year-old's progression even without start No. 31.
He has pitched 178 2/3 innings this season, only having to recently draw back a bit due to shoulder fatigue. After some extra days of rest, Houck has come back to allow just one run over nine innings in his last two starts, putting his ERA at 3.12.
He has allowed three or fewer runs in 22 of his starts. It's an output that puts him in the classification of a good chunk of baseball's other perceived aces. It's right there with guys like Aaron Nola (24), Dylan Cease (23), and Logan Gilbert (21).
It's a huge step forward, Houck and the Red Sox, a team that had one pitcher manage 30 starts in the previous two seasons.
Considering the place both Houck and Kutter Crawford have landed in this final week of the season, it's a foundation the Sox simply didn't have at this time last year. Now, along with those two, they possess the likes of more experienced Brayan Bello (who has a 2.45 ERA in 29 1/3 innings over his last five starts), a returning Lucas Giolito and the promise of Richard Fitts and perhaps even Quinn Priester. And that's not including Garrett Whitlock, whose role should be of value, either as a starter or reliever.
Should Houck's emergence make the Red Sox shy away from targeting another top-of-the-rotation starter? Probably not. As the Red Sox were reminded during their August downturn, it's good to have some perceived certainty when rubber-meets-the-road season comes around.
But, as Monday night exhibited, the idea that the Sox can stake claim to this type of pitcher at this time of year is a step forward. One which they desperately need.
"I think these kids, they learned that this is part of the equation, and this is how we do it," Cora told reporters. "For them to finish the season the way they’re throwing the ball, it’s refreshing. It’s good."