As Garrett Crochet piles up the innings, Red Sox will allow ace extra rest in second half

Boston Globe

21 hours ago

And while the Sox are not looking to limit Crochet's workload, manager
Alex Cora
said Saturday they did give him the few extra days from his last start of the first half July 12, when he threw a complete-game three-hitter in a 1-0 win over Tampa Bay, and will again before he pitches Saturday at home against the Dodgers.
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'It is a good time for him to reset, you know, and go from there,' Cora said. 'But there's no limitations. We're going to keep going and keep pushing and use the schedule to our advantage and the rest of the guys, and there's a reason he's here. And just like everybody else, at one point, you have to throw 30 starts, and he's on his way to doing that.'
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Crochet has more than proved himself worth the price Boston paid in top prospects when they acquired him last December in a trade with the White Sox, standing among top Cy Young candidates at the break.
Pomeranz reminisces
The easy way for Red Sox fans to remember pitcher
Drew Pomeranz
is for his stellar 2017 season (17-6, 3.32 ERA), but those really paying attention also recall Pomeranz for a unique 2018 moment. Injuries derailed him that season but ultimately didn't keep him off the 2018 World Series roster. It was there, in the epic 18-inning loss to the Dodgers in Game 3, that Pomeranz was the only last available pitcher in the Sox bullpen by the time it was over.
'He was our last man standing,' manager Alex Cora said, smiling.
Now in the Cubs' bullpen, the 36-year-old lefty shared fond memories of his time in Boston — 'I had the best years of my career and the worst of times with injuries in Boston,' he said — but admitted he barely recognizes his old team, with his last remaining ex-Sox teammate,
Rafael Devers
, having been traded to the Giants in June. But Pomeranz did make sure to connect with Cora and some other staff members still here.
'They've got some good young players that have been playing well of late, and it's good to see the exciting players, but there's so much turnover,' Pomeranz said. On Friday night, he came out of the bullpen to get a key out against one of those rising stars, retiring
Roman Anthony
with two on in the seventh inning of a 4-1 Cubs win.
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Said Cora: 'Seems like Drew's been on the verge of retiring like 10 times since 2018, and he's still doing a good job. We've stayed in touch throughout the years … He was a guy we liked, we really enjoyed, and I'm glad he's still doing it.'
Injury updates
Cora finally had an answer — well, sort of — about righthander
Tanner Houck
. Houck has been returned from his rehab assignment but will stay on the injured list as he continues to work his way back from the right flexor issue that had kept him from the roster for two months. Cora said Houck is in Boston with trainers and the team has 10 days before he can start a new rehab assignment. … Cora said reliever
Justin Slaten
(right shoulder) has started playing catch, which he described as 'a big step.'
Liam Hendricks
(hip) is throwing up to 120 feet, and reliever
Luis Guerrero
'is about to start throwing bullpens in Fort Myers,' Cora said.
Tara Sullivan is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at