BOSTON -- With two on and two outs in the top of the sixth inning on Thursday night at Fenway Park, Red Sox manager Alex Cora went to the mound, and it looked like Tanner Houck’s All-Star first half of the season was over.

But Cora did something he usually doesn’t do during a mound visit. He left his pitcher in.

Houck has earned that trust, and he rewarded his manager’s faith, bouncing back from a 2-0 count by getting Lawrence Butler to pound his 3-2 splitter into the ground, and shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela fired to first.

It was the signature moment for Houck as the rolling Red Sox downed the Athletics, 7-0, in the rubber match of a three-game series.

“When you see the manager coming out, [getting removed from the game] kind of goes through your head,” Houck said. “I know I still had more in the tank and I was just super thankful for the opportunity to stay out there and get that last guy. A little dicey on the first two pitches there, but once again, battled back and made the pitches when I had to.”

Cora’s view of the situation?

“I went out there, [but] he’s our guy,” Cora said. “Obviously, lefty at the plate, but you’ve got to trust him. He was very convincing, to say the least. I said, ‘What do you got?’ He said, ‘I got him’, and that was it. I usually make the decision from the dugout but I wasn’t ready to take him out of the game. He deserves that. I think he’s done an amazing job throughout the first part of the season, and there’s going to be situations like that starting next week, and we need him, so that was really good.”

Houck had done his job, and his night ended on that 103rd pitch to Butler. It was a fitting way for Houck to complete the pre-All-Star break portion of his season, as he went at least six innings for the 14th time in his 19 starts. It was also the 14th time this season Houck allowed two earned runs or less.

“I'm super stoked with the consistency I've had in the first half,” Houck said. “It's not done though. I can look back and easily be satisfied with it but I want more. I want to continue to go deeper into games, continue to go out there with my best stuff every night and just ultimately put the team in the best position to win."

The Red Sox have picked up considerable steam with three games left before the break, winning eight of their past 10 games and 18 out of 25 since June 12.

A big series awaits this weekend at Fenway against the Royals, who trail Boston by a game for the third American League Wild Card spot.

Meanwhile, the Sox now trail the Orioles by 5 1/2 games in the American League East, Boston’s smallest deficit in the division since May 14.

“It’s just a fun team to be around,” Houck said. “I think that’s the biggest thing for me. Everyone shows up with a smile on their face, with good energy every day.”

As for Houck, The 28-year-old righty will take a 2.54 season ERA with him to Texas for the All-Star festivities.

“He’s a solid starter,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “He’s turned into a frontline guy that probably is going to start the All-Star Game or have a chance to. The [slider] is real. The split is exceptional. He throws enough fastballs to keep you off those pitches, but down in the zone.”

Though Houck had a couple of missteps in his two outings that preceded Thursday night, he’s basically been in the zone for the better part of the past three months.

And the reward will come with that trip to the All-Star Game.

“It’s something you dream about as a kid,” Houck said. “It truly hasn’t hit me yet. A few of the guys that I’ve talked to that have been before said it will hit you once you walk in that locker room for the first time. I’m just excited to spend the moment with my wife and with my family and just embrace every second of it, that’s what I’ve tried to do the whole year.”