Barnes allowed two runs on one hit, two walks and a hit batsman in Friday's 8-4 loss to Minnesota.

EDGE Analysis

The Red Sox struggled against Minnesota pitching but finally cracked the code during a three-run eighth inning that closed the gap to 6-4. Barnes, who had two encouraging appearances in low-leverage spots earlier in the week, was brought on to keep the Twins in check for a potential ninth-inning comeback. Unfortunately, he was unable to find the strike zone, walking two straight and hitting a batter, leading to two runs. This had the appearance of manager Alex Cora testing Barnes as a ninth-inning guy, but it was not a closer-like performance.