The first two games of the season featured similar action: the Red Sox sent an ace to the mound, the ace struggled, and the batters had to dig out of a large hole, scoring nine runs each game. Once it wasn’t enough, but the second time it lead to a walkoff win.
Today, the Sox send much less battle tested Tanner Houck against the Baltimore Orioles. Houck somewhat famously lost his rotation spot to Garrett Whitlock last season but had another solid year in the bullpen nonetheless. With a career ERA just a tick over 3, a strikeout rate of 27.