Red Sox left fielder Carl Crawford was scratched from the starting lineup moments before Monday’s doubleheader opener with the Baltimore Orioles.
The official word from the team was that Crawford had a stiff neck.
Crawford was benched Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays with a left-hander on the mound. He came off the bench and hit a double late in the 8-5 loss. Crawford is 5-for-8 with a double, a walk and a stolen base in his last three games, but has had a very disappointing season overall. He’s batting .255 with 11 homers and 53 RBIs in 122 games.
Darnell McDonald took Crawford’s spot in left field.
