Houser (0-1) gave up two runs on four hits and two walks over five innings in a loss to the Twins on Sunday. He struck out four.
Houser was just decent in his season debut. The Twins played some small ball to scrape together a run in the first, and Mitch Garver added a solo shot in the fifth on Houser's watch. The 28-year-old right-hander enters 2021 with a shaky grasp on a spot in the rotation after he posted a 5.30 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 44:21 K:BB across 56 innings in 2020. Houser will need to tighten things up on the mound or else risk a demotion to the bullpen. He lines up for his next start Saturday in St. Louis.