clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Red Sox vs. Braves lineup: Can Tanner Houck pick up where he left off?

After three scoreless against the Braves in his first spring start, the future starter is back at it against Atlanta.

By Bryan Joiner
Atlanta Braves v Boston Red Sox
Looks like Eovaldi with that elbow, imho.
Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images

Boston’s top healthy pitching prospect will make his second start of the spring when Tanner Houck faces down the Atlanta Braves this afternoon at 1:05 p.m. in Fort Myers. There is no TV broadcast on either side for this one.

Houck faced Atlanta his previous time out, going three scoreless innings and topping 97 on the gun, which was a revelation to manager Alex Cora, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith:

“I saw him pitch last year and I noticed that he was throwing 92 or 93 (mph), if I’m not mistaken,” manager Alex Cora said last Wednesday. “With his movement, I thought that was good enough. But now, you see 96, 97 (mph) and it’s eye-opening.”

Smith writes that Houck is not being considered for a bullpen role, and the Sox see him as a starter in the long-term and will develop him to that end.

While there were some rumblings last week that Xander Bogaerts might play shortstop today (from Bogaerts himself), that notion seemed to get squished pretty quickly, with his fielding debut set for tomorrow at the earliest. Bogey is back at DH, with Christian Arroyo holding it down at short. Following Houck on the mound will be Matt Andriese, Phillips Valdez, Eduard Bazardo and Kevin McCarthy.

The Braves’s lineup is anchored by Marcell Ozuna, the one who got away, and again features Pablo Sandoval, the one they sent away, and the one who shall play forever. Kyle Wright will get the start with righty Touki Toussaint, among others, to follow.

Braves lineup

1. Ender Inciarte, CF

2. Freddie Freeman, 1B

3. Marcell Ozuna, LF

4. Jake Lamb, 3B

5. Dansby Swanson, SS

6. Jason Kipnis, 2B

7. Pablo Sandoval, DH

8. Abraham Almonte, RF

9. William Contreras, C

SP: Kyle Wright, RHP

Red Sox lineup

1. Kiké Hernández 2B

2. Alex Verdugo RF

3. Xander Bogaerts DH

4. Hunter Renfroe CF

5. Marwin Gonzalez LF

6. Christian Vázquez C

7. Christian Arroyo SS

8. Bobby Dalbec 3B

9. Michael Chavis 1B

SP: Tanner Houck, RHP

Apologies for the following video. It was added in error and cannot be removed.

More From Over the Monster