Hernandez allowed two walks and struck out one over a scoreless eighth inning in Saturday's 9-0 win over the Angels.

EDGE Analysis

Hernandez recently was removed from high-leverage work, so Saturday's low-leverage outing was a chance for the reliever to put together a successful appearance. He's allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and five walks over his last 2.2 innings.

Hernandez (0-2) was tagged with the loss Tuesday, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk over a third of an inning against Oakland.

EDGE Analysis

Hernandez entered a 1-1 game after Nathan Eovaldi's six strong innings and walked the first batter faced. Two singles later, the Athletics plated a run, then he was charged with a second run with Adam Ottavino on the mound. Hernandez, who's had issues with command throughout his career, threw just seven strikes among his 16 pitches. Manager Alex Cora admitted he's still figuring out the late-inning rotation of relievers. "We're searching," Cora told Jordan Horrobin of MLB.com. "You've seen it. Obviously, we do feel very comfortable with some of the guys back there... But we need [others] to be more consistent. When that happens, the structure is gonna be a lot easier." During spring training, Hernandez was pegged as someone that could pitch the final third of games, but his 8.5 BB/9 and inconsistency is hard to trust.

Hernandez walked two over a third of an inning in Tuesday's 11-7 win over the Tigers.

EDGE Analysis

A recent run of good pitching made manager Alex Cora feel comfortable putting Hernandez out there in the eighth inning to preserve a three-run lead. A fielding error put a man on base, then he walked two batters before departing with the bases loaded. Matt Barnes escaped the jam by inducing a double-play groundout, and Hernandez his fifth hold, albeit a shaky one. The left-hander has walked 10 batters in 10.1 innings, as the free pass continues to be a blocker to more high-leverage work.

Hernandez allowed one hit and struck out two over a scoreless sixth inning in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Rangers.

EDGE Analysis

Hernandez has bounced back after a disastrous outing April 22 against the Mariners, when he took the loss after allowing a three-run home run to Mitch Haniger. He's struck out eight without a walk over the three appearances since that game. The left-hander is mixing in more breaking balls, so that opponents can't sit on his heat, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports. Boston manager Alex Cora said he's learning where his fastball plays best and to attack those areas. That could earn him more work in high-leverage situations, the manager added.

Hernandez (0-1) allowed four runs (three earned) on two hits and two walks while striking out one in one inning to take the extra-inning loss to the Mariners.

EDGE Analysis

Neither Hernandez nor Adam Ottavino before him did the Red Sox any favors by walking four batters late in the game. Seattle plated seven runs despite getting only three hits, the first time since 1994 a team has scored at least seven runs on three hits or fewer. Hernandez, who has been given a late-inning role, has issued eight free passes over seven innings.

Hernandez earned his third hold of the season in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against Minnesota, setting down the side in order.

EDGE Analysis

Hernandez entered for the sixth inning, which is the equivalent of the eighth inning due to the league's seven-inning doubleheader rule. It was his first clean inning of the season, and the left-hander hasn't allowed a run over his last five outings.

Hernandez allowed two walks and struck out one over one scoreless inning in Tuesday's 6-5 extra-innings win over Tampa Bay.

EDGE Analysis

Hernandez, who made his third appearance of the season, has walked four batters and struck out four over 2.1 innings. He's expected to be a late-inning reliever -- he entered Tuesday's contest in the eighth inning with Boston down 3-1 -- but has a history of command issues. The left-hander had a 7.7 BB/9 in 2019 and 8.6 in 2020.

Hernandez allowed three walks and hit a batter over one-plus scoreless innings in Saturday's spring game against Atlanta.

EDGE Analysis

A slimmer version of Hernandez made his Grapefruit League debut Saturday, but the improved physique did not improve his command on this day. An inability to consistently find the zone has been the left-hander's bane since joining Boston's bullpen, but manager Alex Cora accentuated the positive with Ian Browne of MLB.com. "With Darwinzon, we need him to be aggressive in the strike zone," said Cora. "Today wasn't that. He was wild. But just like the other guys, he got his work in, it was an up and down [day]... and now we'll move on to the next one." Hernandez is expected to be a core member of the bullpen and will work the final third of games.

Boston manager Alex Cora said Hernandez will pitch out of the bullpen and envisions using him late in games, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports. "As of now, we're going to treat him as a reliever. We do believe that stuff-wise, he can give us big outs late in games," Cora said.

EDGE Analysis

The question of whether Hernandez would return to being a starter, as he was throughout his minor-league career, has been posed since the power lefty arrived at the major-league level in 2019. Cora added that plans could change, but for now, Hernandez will pitch the last third of games. That theoretically puts him in line to close out contests for a team that has not yet named its closer.

Hernandez allowed two runs on one hit and two walks while striking out one in two-thirds of an inning in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Yankees.

EDGE Analysis

Hernandez returned to the lineup after spending time on the injured list due to a shoulder injury. He thrived as a reliever during the second half of 2019 and was expected to be an important setup piece in 2020, but COVID-19 got in the way. A starter in the minors, Hernandez could have served in that role for a team that needed starters. His role for 2021 depends on how the left-hander finishes 2020 and Boston's offseason roster construction.