As Travis Shaw's long, arching fly ball settled into the bleacher seats in right field in the bottom of the 11th inning, euphoria set in at Fenway Park.
Thanks to Shaw's walk-off grand slam, the Red Sox had avoided the embarrassment of suffering a second straight loss to the Texas Rangers, one of baseball's worst teams, and you could almost hear the collective sigh of relief emanating from the home dugout.
In postgame remarks with reporters, Alex Cora emphasized that, however ugly it may have been, the Red Sox had won the series and if that pattern continues, the Sox would be fine.
But the win couldn't quite cover up an issue the Sox can no longer ignore: Matt Barnes is not doing the job as closer.
Barnes took over in the ninth with a two-run lead, and five batters later, the game was tied, And while it may be true that some of the events that unfolded as the Texas Rangers scored twice to knot the game at 3-3 -- the leadoff single that began things ticked off Shaw's glove at first, and Christian Arroyo dropped a feed from Xander Bogaerts that could have potentially resulted in a game-ending double play -- facts are facts.
For the last month or so, Barnes has been unreliable in the closer's spot. His blown save was his sixth of the season, and four of those have come since July 2. In the last 16 games, his ERA is a bloated 6.59.
That's the kind of unsettling performance that a team fighting for its playoff life can't withstand in the late innings. Thanks to an offense that continues to underachieve -- the Sox are averaging more than a run less per game than they were in the first half of the season -- and inconsistent defensive play, the Red Sox are trying to win on the margins. They can ill-afford to have someone untrustworthy in save situations.
Without being directly asked if Barnes' job could be in jeopardy, Cora seemed to acknowledge that the role is an open question. Asked merely what Bares was "dealing with right now,'' Cora cut straight to the chase, He wasn't about to announce that Barnes was being removed from the role, but he strongly hinted that was being contemplated.
"We'll talk about it, we'll see where we're at,'' said Cora. "Obviously, there were two ground balls that we put gloves on and we couldn't turn them into outs. We'll keep looking at it, see where we're at and then go from there.''
As declarations go, this wasn't exactly a bold endorsement for Barnes to continue getting the ball in save situations. Instead, Cora openly conceded Barnes has not been performing up to expectations and further discussions would be held.
Fortunately for the Red Sox, they have someone on the staff who could take over the role: rookie Garrett Whitlock.
Had Barnes nose-dived a month or so ago, it would have been easy to install Adam Ottavino in the closer's role. Ottavino has handled the job at different points during his career and isn't one to get rattled in late-inning situations. But Ottavino has every bit as shaky as Barnes of late, and while experience matters, how a pitcher is performing currently is far more important.
For now, there's little doubt that Whitlock is the most effective and reliable reliever in the bullpen,. After Barnes failed to secure the save in the ninth, Whitlock entered the game and struck out two to strand two runners in scoring position.
He then gave the Sox two more innings, allowing one run -- unearned because of the automatic runner -- and got credit for the win.
It may seem highly unconventional to turn to Whitlock, who had never pitched above Double A -- much less pitched at the big league level -- until this past April. But since then, Whitlock has passed every test given to him. Used as a multi-inning reliever in one-sided game at first, Whitlock earned the trust of the staff and was soon utilized in high leverage spots. He's been dominant at times, with a 1.64 ERA enough so that he'll surely receive some consideration in American League Rookie of the Year voting.
Until recently, the Sox were highly careful with his usage, in recognition of the fact that he underwent Tommy John surgery a few years ago. But more recently, he's been used more freely, including in back-to-back games.
Long-term, the Red Sox view Whitlock as a candidate for the rotation and his three-pitch mix suggests he'll be able to step into that role next April. Meanwhile, Barnes, who signed a two-year contract extension prior to the All-Star break, remains the team's closer for the future.
But the Red Sox can't think about 2022 or contractual obligations for now. They have a 36-game sprint to the finish line, and they need to make sure games like Monday's don't get away from them.
Whitlock is the best option to close those games out. Maybe Barnes can't work through some things in another capacity in the bullpen and be ready to resume his rightful spot in September.
For now, however, it's time to try Whitlock in save situations. He's done everything else that's been asked of him, and there's nothing to suggest he can't do this.