“Like I said in New York, he’s a big part of what we’re trying to accomplish here" - Boston Red Sox skipper heaps praise on ace Tanner Houck after he teamed up with Garrett Whitlock for 8 scoreless innings
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora has come out with some radiant praise directed toward his pitching staff. The Red Sox came up with a big 4-0 win against the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park on April 16.
The victory was owed to two men in the Sox' pitching staff who kept the Twins batters shaking their heads and wondering what they were doing wrong.
Boston Red Sox pitching all the rage against visiting Minnesota Twins on Saturday
Starting pitcher Tanner Houck pitched 5.2 innings of shutout baseball, earning four strikeouts en route to his first victory of the 2022 season. Houck will be looking to finish the season with a better record than the 1-5 ratio that he earned as a starter for the Red Sox last season.
Tanner Houck's slider is just not fair. https://t.co/q0iB7KgLLM
"Tanner Houck's slider is just not fair." - @ Red Sox
Following Houck's departure in the fifth inning, his ace throwing was picked up by reliever Matt Strahm, who was followed by Garrett Whitlock, who finished off the game for the Sox.
Whitlock struck out five in the final 2.1 innings of the ballgame, allowing only a pair of Twins' hits.
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Garrett Whitlock’s 2022 numbers after today:
8.2 IP - 3 Appearances
1.04 ERA
11 K
2 BB
.133 BAA
Incredible weapon to have out of the bullpen.
#RedSox | #DirtyWater| #MLB
https://t.co/C4LTXWQCzq
"Garrett Whitlock’s 2022 numbers after today:" - @Tyler Miliken
Alex Cora lauded the dynamic combination of pitching that his staff treated the home crowd to on Saturday. Speaking about Houck, the Red Sox skipper said, “Like I said in New York, he’s a big part of what we’re trying to accomplish here. His stuff is that good. He’s always one pitch away from getting out of the inning."
Regarding the relief supplied by Garrett Whitlock, Cora said, "I mean with him ... it’s kind of like Garrett. He’s just so consistent in everything they do. He knows he has to work, keep getting better, but one bad outing isn’t going to take him out of who he is."
Alex Verdugo and Xander Bogaerts both had homers as the Boston Red Sox evened the series with Minnesota. The two teams will go head-to-head on Sunday evening and again on Monday to conclude the 4-game series.
The Boston Red Sox will then remain at home and welcome Bo Bichette and the Toronto Blue Jays for a mid-week series.