The one positive the Boston Red Sox can take from the clunker that was their series opener in Minnesota was the work of their bullpen.
After the Twins chased Red Sox starter Joe Kelly in the second inning Monday, four members of the Boston ‘pen teamed up to toss 6 1/3 innings of scoreless relief in Boston’s eventual 7-2 loss.
Championing that cause was 24-year-old right-hander Matt Barnes, who kept Minnesota off the board for 3 1/3 innings — the longest outing of his young major league career — while striking out five of the 15 batters he faced.
“They came in and did their job,” manager John Farrell told reporters after the game, as aired on “Red Sox Extra Innings LIVE.” “Matt Barnes came in with 3 1/3 innings of work — very good stuff across the board from each and every guy that came in out of the ‘pen.”
Barnes’ outing wasn’t without flaws — he allowed four hits over his first 1 1/3 innings — but it was a vast improvement over his appearance Friday night. The UConn product was rocked in that one, surrendering two home runs and allowing four runs total in 1/3 of an inning as the Los Angeles Angels crushed the Sox 12-5.
“I’m feeling more comfortable now than I did when I first came up,” Barnes, who made his major league debut last September, told reporters after Monday’s loss. “It’s a lot learning the hitters, learning how to use your stuff, mixing stuff.”
All 13 of Barnes’ appearances for the Red Sox have come in relief, but the vast majority of his minor league outings (75 of 77, to be exact) came as a starter. He threw a career-high 58 pitches against the Twins, prompting speculation that perhaps Farrell was treating Monday as a possible tryout for the rotation.
The manager, however, shot down that idea.
“Not stretched out to make any role change of that sort,” Farrell told reporters. “He was throwing the ball well, we had stabilized the game, hoping to get back on track offensively.”
Some additional notes from Boston’s Memorial Day matinee:
— Pablo Sandoval returned to the starting lineup for the first time since injuring his knee last Tuesday. The third baseman went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
— Will Smith of the Milwaukee Brewers and Brian Matusz of the Baltimore Orioles both earned ejections and eight-game suspensions this past week after umpires discovered a foreign substance on their forearms, reigniting the debate over whether pitchers should be allowed to doctor a baseball to improve their grip.
Farrell, a former pitcher and pitching coach, believes they should.
“I would like to see an approved substance that pitchers can use,” Farrell told reporters before Monday’s game, via the Boston Herald. “Because, when we take a manufactured baseball and rub it with dirt, it’s going to create a slippery feeling to it. The mud residue leaves a film on it that you don’t necessarily feel a good, consistent grip.
“… I don’t think a grip gives you an ability to make the ball do different things. You’re looking for feel in the hand and overall command. It’s not like scuffing it or vasoline, where you’ve got spitter action. I think if you poll any hitter, the hitter wants to know that the ball’s got a grip, the ball’s not going to get away from (the pitcher).”
Thumbnail photo via Marilyn Indahl/USA TODAY Sports Images
