Tanner Houck came out of the bullpen on Sunday for the Worcester Red Sox, and didn’t fare much better than his first two rehab appearances.
The Red Sox pitcher gave up four earned runs — including a solo home run — on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts in 3⅔ innings in Worcester’s 6-1 loss to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
Houck threw 65 pitches, 42 of them for strikes.
In his first rehab start June 18, Houck allowed one run on two hits and one walk. His second start included giving up four earned runs on three hits.
It’s unclear what’s next for Houck, who’s been on the 15-day injured list since May with a right flexor pronator strain. The right-hander struggled with Boston prior to his injury. In nine starts, Houck posted an 8.04 ERA.
The WooSox jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth due to a fielding error, but it was quickly erased by the RailRiders, who scored four of their six runs in the bottom half of the fourth.
Kristian Campbell, who played first base for Worcester, went 0-for-2 with two walks and a strikeout.
The WooSox are off Monday before before they return to Polar Park on Tuesday for a quick three-game homestand against the Syracuse Mets.
