Red Sox recap: Tanner Houck’s best start of the season spoiled by 'bad read' from Wilyer Abreu and bullpen meltdown

Tanner Houck entered his start on Thursday night in search of his first win of the season. 

He gave the Sox a tremendous outing, putting himself in line for the win, but the bullpen let him and the team down for a second straight night.

Houck dominated the Blue Jays over seven innings, allowing just one run off four hits while walking no one and striking out six. The lone run he allowed was a 356-foot homer down the left field line to Daulton Varsho in the seventh.

In two outings this season against the Blue Jays, Houck has recorded a 1.32 ERA (two earned runs) with eight strikeouts to just two walks in 13 2/3 innings.

Alex Cora handed the ball to Justin Slaten, who had been outstanding in his 12 outings this season, with the Red Sox leading 2-1. The righty hadn’t allowed a hit or a walk in eight of his 12 appearances.

That would all change in the eighth when the trusted right-hander threw an 85.8 mph curveball down at the knees of slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who deposited the ball into the left field seats, giving the Blue Jays a 4-2 lead, which ended up being the final score.

Cora had the option to put Guerrero Jr. on first base to load the bases and force the double play; instead, he allowed Slaten to pitch to him.

“Super frustrating,” Slaten told reporters. “It’s back-to-back nights where I feel like my stuff has been as good as it’s been in my life, and I just didn’t execute with two strikes, is what it comes down to.

“Can’t leave a slider in the middle of the plate to a good hitter like Bichette; he did exactly what he should’ve done to that pitch. And then the one to Vladdy, like we’re trying to throw the curveball below the zone, in the dirt, maybe leave it a little bit too high, and again, a really good hitter makes a really good swing. So super frustrating, especially in games like that, where (it’s) super close, every pitch matters.”

Boston’s bullpen blew a save for the second straight night and has now blown an American League-high seven saves over the first month of the season.

“That’s part of baseball,” Cora told reporters. “Tanner, he did an outstanding job.”

Slaten, who earned the loss in Wednesday’s game, issued the walk-off hit into left field to Alejandro Kirk for an unearned run in the 10th inning. Entering Thursday night's game, the righty didn't appear sharp right away, allowing a one-out single to the No. 9 hitter, Nathan Lukes.

Bo Bichette doubled after he sliced a fly ball into right field, and Gold Glover Wilyer Abreu took a bad route, got twisted around, stumbled and fell, allowing the Jays to have two runners in scoring position for Guerrero.

“It was a routine play,” Abreu said through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez. “It was a bad read on my part. There’s not anything else I can say.”

It was a rare misplay from Abreu who has been amazing in right field entering Thursday night’s game with five defensive runs save in 233 2/3 innings.

HOUCK DESERVED BETTER

Houck looked like the All-Star from last season, carving up the Blue Jays lineup, throwing 54 sinkers at 95.8 mph, up from a 93.9 mph average velocity for the season, according to Baseball Savant.

He topped out at 97.5 mph and recorded six swings and misses with the sinker. The righty finished with 11 swings and misses on the night, utilizing a sinker/slider combination to keep the Blue Jays guessing all night. He also threw 28 pitches that hit 96 mph or higher on the radar gun, which set a new career high.

“I felt better, kind of all-around, especially in the delivery,” Houck told reporters, praising catcher Carlos Narváez. “It felt like ‘Narvy’ and I worked really well together today and stuck to the game plan all the way through.”

In the third inning, Houck struck out Guerrero Jr. with a 96.3 mph sinker that dipped down to his knees. During the at-bat, Houck delivered four pitches, all registering at least 95 mph, helping to retire Toronto's slugger.

Houck was stingy all night, not allowing a Blue Jays base runner past first base with the exception of Varsho (homer). He outpitched Jose Berríos. 

The Sox's righty was brilliant; unfortunately, the bullpen let him and the team down in back-to-back games.

HOW THE SOX SCORED

The Red Sox took a 2-0 lead in the fifth after Rob Refsnyder and David Hamilton collected back-to-back singles to lead off the frame.

Refsnyder advanced to third on Hamilton’s single. The lightning-fast second baseman stole second base to give the Sox two runners in scoring position with just nobody out. Narváez (fly out) and Jarren Duran (foul tip strike out) were retired by Blue Jays starter Berríos. After Rafael Devers worked a six-pitch walk to load the bases, Alex Bregman drilled a two-run double down the left field line for a 2-0 lead.

Bregman’s two-run hit gave him 26 RBI in his first 32 games as a member of the Red Sox. That is the most by any player to begin their career with Boston since 2019.

“We got some breathing room there, but it wasn’t enough,” Cora said.

Berríos was excellent for the Jays outside of the Bregman two-run base knock, working 6 2/3 innings, giving up two runs off seven hits, and striking out eight.

The Red Sox went quietly in the ninth, as reliever Yimi García had a perfect inning that included a pair of strikeouts.

Boston had a chance to head back to Fenway Park with a winning record on the road trip. Instead, they ended up with a 3-3 split, and the Sox are 17-16.

KRISTIAN CAMPBELL SCRATCHED

Red Sox star rookie Kristian Campbell was scratched from the lineup prior to the game due to right rib discomfort.

The 22-year-old was supposed to play center field and bat seventh. Duran has been moved from left field to center field while Refsnyder was inserted into the starting lineup to face a righty and played left field.

Cora described Campbell as “day-to-day.”

HEADING HOME

Walker Buehler will miss his scheduled start against the Minnesota Twins on Friday after undergoing testing on his shoulder. It’s unclear whether he’ll need to go on the injured list or just miss a turn in the rotation. 

“We’re working through a few things regarding Walker,” Cora told reporters on Thursday afternoon. “He hasn’t bounced back the way we wanted, so we have to wait.”

It's not official yet, but Hunter Dobbins is a prime candidate to join the Red Sox' 26-man roster if Buehler misses time. 

Red Sox fans will be treated with an outstanding pitching match-up on Friday night when right-hander Brayan Bello will start for Boston vs. Minnesota righty Joe Ryan (2-2, 3.18 ERA).