After two turns through the rotation, Tanner Houck had only completed 9.2 innings, allowing seven runs and striking out eight batters. After his first appearance, I broke down an inning and explained how his splitter is the key to his success.
Against left-handed hitters in particular, he needs a pitch to throw for strikes and in two-strike counts. Early in 2024, he often threw the splitter in the zone for both called strikes and some swing-and-miss. More importantly, though, it gives lefties another thing to think about. Think about it this way: if Houck can’t throw his splitter for strikes, it leaves a sinker and a sweeper.