All of it virtually bought right here undone throughout the second inning, when Tanner Houck confronted a bases loaded jam with three-time MVP Mike Trout coming to the plate.
However the Crimson Sox starter struck out the Los Angeles Angels movie star to flee the jam with minimal harm, and from that point on Houck was off to the races.
Coming off a stretch the place he has repeatedly gotten crushed by opposing lineups the second and third events through the order, Houck obtained larger as a result of the night time time went on in what was actually his best start of the season. He allowed one run over six innings whereas hanging out eight, nevertheless the Crimson Sox bats couldn’t give him any run help and the Angels wound up incomes the 2-1 win on a Mickey Moniak solo dwelling run off Kutter Crawford throughout the eighth.
“He did an excellent job,” Crimson Sox supervisor Alex Cora talked about of Houck. “Altering speeds, utilizing his good slider, good fastball too, it was a superb one for him.”
Houck labored his means through an uneventful first sooner than working into hassle throughout the second. He allowed a stroll, a single after which an RBI groundout by Luis Rengifo to put the Angels on the board, and after that hit a batter and allowed one different single to load the bases for Trout.
Going through the identical spot as Corey Kluber in Sunday’s loss to San Diego, Houck leaned on his stuff and obtained Trout to foul off back-to-back sliders, the latter of which found its means into Connor Wong’s glove to complete the inning. From that point on Houck fed the Angels a stead consuming routine of sliders, splitters and cutters, lastly retiring 12 of the ultimate 13 batters he confronted.
Houck’s stuff was filthy all by means of and basic he drew 17 whiffs, along with on 7 of 13 sliders and 6 of 11 splitters. He moreover obtained Trout and fellow MVP Shohei Ohtani to go 0 for 5 with 4 strikeouts and a stroll in what was really a press launch outing ahead of the membership’s imminent rotation shakeup.
And however the offense couldn’t capitalize.
Boston has now solely managed one run in its closing 23 innings, and Monday the lineup was flat out uncompetitive. The Crimson Sox managed 4 hits with no walks in direction of the Angels workers, with the lone run coming after Connor Wong doubled and bought right here in to realize on a Masataka Yoshida grounder that bounced extreme off the glove of first baseman Jared Walsh throughout the sixth.
That tied the score at 1-1, nevertheless after Moniak took Crawford deep throughout the eighth the Crimson Sox couldn’t offer you any response throughout the ninth. The recreation wound up wrapping up at 11:43 p.m. ET after solely 2:05, certainly one of many quickest video video games of the 12 months and certainly one of many earliest finishes for a Crimson Sox west coast recreation in present memory.
With the loss the Crimson Sox fall to 26-22 on the season. Brayan Bello (3-1, 4.45 ERA) will get the ball for Boston on Tuesday in direction of Angels starter Griffin Canning (2-2, 6.14). First pitch is scheduled for 9:38 p.m. ET.
Originally posted 2023-05-23 04:06:09.