Barnes struck out one and walked one in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save in a 5-3 win over the Nationals on Saturday.
Barnes walked Kurt Suzuki with one out but retired Brock Holt and Eric Thames to convert his third save of the year. Through 13 appearances, Barnes has a 5.54 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 16 strikeouts across 13 innings. His grip on the closer role isn't firm, but a lack of other options with closing experience could keep Barnes in line for most of the ninth-inning duties for the 11-22 Red Sox.