Here's why Houck isn't skipping any more starts

This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. PETERSBURG -- When Tanner Houck started feeling “dead arm” after his start at Citi Field on Sept. 4, the Red Sox wisely played it conservatively with the 28-year-old, who has been their best starting pitcher this season.

Initially, Houck was supposed to return on Sept. 13 at Yankee Stadium, but he was scratched less than an hour before first pitch when trainer Brandon Henry noted Houck's shoulder strength still wasn’t where it needed to be.

Given that Boston’s postseason chances have been reduced to miracle status, it was fair to wonder why Houck -- who was already at a career high in innings pitched -- took the mound on Wednesday night for his first start in two weeks.

Why not shut him down? Prior to the game, Red Sox manager Alex Cora had a good answer.

“Because we will have the situation next year and the year after, and then you’re gonna ask me the same question, ‘How come we're not shutting him down next year?’ I think this is a learning experience for him,” said Cora. “He's done a good job with it. We just have to make sure he's OK, but we feel 100 percent that he is.”

In other words, Houck needs to build his innings count as much as he can within reason, so that he can take another leap forward next season.

It looked like a smart move to bring Houck back on Wednesday, given how well he performed. Though on a pitch count, Houck maximized his outing, holding the Rays to one run on four hits over four innings in which he walked none and struck out four over 60 pitches.

Houck topped out at 95.7 mph and looked sharp with all three of his pitches (sweeper, sinker, splitter).

“Felt good. Felt strong,” said Houck. “Just the little bit of rest, it was a little bit longer than what I originally wanted it to be, or I think what we all kind of wanted it to be. But [the goal was to] do it the smart way, take care of it the first time and finish the year strong.”

Wednesday marked Houck’s 29th start of the season as he bumped up to 173 2/3 innings. With a classic starter’s frame, Houck could be positioning himself to hit the coveted 200-inning mark by next season.

Assuming his shoulder responds well to Wednesday’s outing, Houck plans on making his final two starts to give him 31 for the season.

“The past few years, I've dealt with some injuries that have taken me off the field for longer than what I intended it to be,” said Houck. “To finish a year strong, I think, is the best way that you can propel yourself to have an even better [campaign] next year.”

Despite taking some lumps in his 10 starts since the All-Star break, a time during which he’s posted a 4.61 ERA, Houck thinks the experience of taking on a full starter’s load positions him well going forward.

”For the most part, the entire year, I felt great physically,” Houck said. “And that's because of the hard work I put into the offseason, during Spring Training, as well as talking with the medical staff, training staff and strength and conditioning staff here to manage that. But to have a full 162-game season [on the active roster], to make 29 starts [so far], it’s great to show that I have the durability to do it, and I plan on doing it for a very long time.”