Barnes struck out one and did not allowed a baserunner over a scoreless relief inning in Wednesday's 9-7 win over the Tigers.
Barnes, who entered to pitch the sixth inning with Boston up 7-2, made his second appearance of the season, working the sixth inning for the second time in as many outings. He set down the side on 14 pitches, and more notably, Barnes sustained his velocity, averaging 94.3 mph on five four-seamers. While Boston's closer situation remains unsettled, this could be a situation where manager Alex Cora is building up the right-hander's confidence in low-leverage spots before moving him into a higher-stakes role.