Struggling Kimbrel Pulled In Favor Of Matt Barnes To Close Out Yankees
BOSTON (CBS) -- On a night when the Red Sox' offseason trade prize looked like anyone but himself, a home-grown talent swooped in to save the day.
Plagued by control problems, All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel walked four Yankees in the ninth inning, walking in a run before being pulled from the game. Matt Barnes came in and recorded the final out of the Red Sox' 5-3 win Tuesday night.
Kimbrel threw 37 pitches, just 16 for strikes. He struck out Didi Gregorius to start the inning before walking Chase Headley and getting Gary Sanchez to fly out. He then walked three batters in a row, including Jacoby Ellsbury to force in a run.
Barnes came in and struck out Mark Teixeira on five pitches to close out the game for his first save of the season.
Manager John Farrell told reporters after the game there was no indication that any lingering issues with Kimbrel's surgically repaired knee played a role in his ineffectiveness Tuesday night, but acknowledged the significance of Kimbrel's role as the closer and the need for more consistency.
"Certainly, the command was not there [for Kimbrel]," said Farrell. "After the fourth walk, certainly, you had to make a move ... [Barnes] was calm and he made some big pitches with his fastball. ... But Craig is an important guy, and coming off the four-out situation in Seattle where he might have been the most sharp of the year, this was the other side of it."
Barnes won't sniff the closer job as long as Kimbrel is healthy, but the 26-year-old has emerged as a reliable middle reliever/set-up man at the back end of the Red Sox bullpen. He has a 2.98 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 51.1 innings this season.