Carl Crawford got the day off on Saturday during Boston's 4-1 win over Toronto, in part because the Red Sox were facing a left-handed pitcher, but also because of the left fielders' struggles at the plate.
In 12 games, Crawford is batting a mere .137 (7-for-51) with one RBI, which is far off pace from what the Red Sox expected from their outfielder that cost them $142 million.
Prior to the game, Crawford spoke to reporters about his recent batting woes.
"It's just bad all-around right now," said Crawford, who was not in the Red Sox starting lineup for the first time this season. "It's tough because the team's not winning and not hitting well, so you have to take all that and be strong enough to try to stay focused and do the things you do well. It's tough right now, but I'm still doing the little things I need to do to get better." (via WEEI)
Luckily, the Red Sox were able to win without Crawford in the lineup on Saturday, but that won't be the case for the majority of the season. Without Crawford firing on all cylinders, the Red Sox' chances of winning a World Series title this season diminish greatly.