Alex Cora Explains Why Matt Barnes Will Remain Red Sox Closer

To say Matt Barnes has been struggling lately would be an understatement, but Frederick Douglass once said, “if there is no struggle, there is no progress.”

The Red Sox closer blew the save in Boston’s eventual 8-4 win over the Texas Rangers on Monday, but Barnes’ August has seen a lot of hits and earned runs. So much so, in fact, his ERA is 15.91 through this month. He has a 7.84 ERA since signing his extension July 11.

Still, manager Alex Cora is not ready to remove him from the closer’s role.

“After the fact you look at it and you see what really happened,” Cora told reporters Tuesday prior to the series opener against the Minnesota Twins. “We’re not pleased that we gave up the lead and he’s been having his struggles. But at the end of the day the stuff is still there. … The fact is that he’s been struggling … he’s still gonna get big outs for us late in games.”

Barnes certainly will need to be on his A-game if he wants to help the Red Sox remain in a postseason position.