Tuesday night marked another frustrating outing for Matt Barnes.
Barnes, a 2021 All-Star who fell apart over the second half of last season, was called on for the 10th inning after Jake Diekman blew a save opportunity in the ninth at Fenway Park. After retiring the first two Angels hitters he faced, the Red Sox right-hander surrendered a two-run home run, a single and a walk before manager Alex Cora pulled him from the ballgame. Barnes (four runs allowed in 2/3 innings) ultimately was saddled with the loss in Boston's 10-5 defeat at the hands of Los Angeles.
Barnes, who has given up at least one run in half of his 10 appearances this season, now owns an 8.64 ERA on the year. The eighth-year pro didn't try to tip-toe around his struggles after Tuesday's game.
"Listen, the starters have done an unbelievable job," Barnes told reporters, per WEEI. "They have been putting up zeroes left and right. The offense is doing their part. It's our job to come in and lock down ballgames. A lot of that falls on me. I've been terrible. Let's just call a spade a spade. So I have to figure my (expletive) out. We're going to get there. I'm working on it every day and feeling better every day. I know the results are terrible, but I'm not going to stop. It's definitely frustrating."
A need for improvements in the Red Sox bullpen isn't limited to Barnes. Boston's collection of relievers currently has the seventh-worst ERA (3.98) in all of baseball, and the Sox won't be able to really turn their season around unless that mark is upgraded.
