Cora getting his quick hook ready in a potential preview of postseason

BOSTON — Manager Alex Cora gave Red Sox fans a peek into his all-hands-on-deck philosophy Saturday afternoon, if not a look into the team’s playoff strategy.

Nick Pivetta labored on the hill against Baltimore, and Cora didn’t waste any time going to his bullpen. With two outs in the fourth, Darwinzon Hernandez came in, followed after two-thirds of an inning by Tanner Houck, who earned his first victory of the season with 2 ⅔ scoreless.

It was an example of not only a unified team philosophy, but also managing with aggression. If a starter is struggling, particularly if it’s not Chris Sale or Nate Eovaldi, Cora isn’t going to waste any time seeing if that starter can get out of it.

“When we have to be aggressive, we’re going to be aggressive,” he said following the 9-3 win. “And today we needed to be aggressive.”

Pivetta said he was on board with Cora’s decision to yank him at the time that he did.

“To be honest with you, it’s just a part of baseball right now,” Pivetta said. “We’re in this game to win games today . . . We have a really versatile, great bullpen. So that’s just the way it goes.”

Though Houck’s future with the Red Sox beyond this year remains as a starter, the team officially moved him to the bullpen in a defined role. On Saturday, Houck dazzled, holding the Orioles scoreless while striking out three on just one hit.

Though Houck can run into trouble if left in for too long — like, say, a third time through the order — he can smother an offense in short spurts. That could be a weapon down the stretch and into the playoffs.

“I think it’s a huge advantage having guys in the bullpen and in the starting rotation that can fill both roles,” Houck said. “Whether it is coming in with runners on or starting games. I think we have a lot of versatility not only on the hitting side, but a lot on the pitching side as well.”

The Red Sox relief group has been solid, allowing just two runs in its last 35 ⅔ innings. The rotation remains a question mark beyond Sale and Eovaldi, which puts more onus on the relievers to be just as good as they’ve been.

Another looming COVID-19 loss: A lot can happen in 12 games, but should the Red Sox reach the Wild Card Game as they’re in line to, they might be without at least one of their staff members. MLB will require non-playing personnel (managers, coaches, athletic trainers) to be vaccinated prior to the start of the postseason. The Red Sox have at least one staff member, first base coach Tom Goodwin, who is unvaccinated. “We’re having conversations about that,” Cora said. “I’m surprised, but not surprised, to be honest with you. I’ve been hearing this for a while.”