Carl Crawford had the confidence of his manager, he was hitting near the top of the order, and he was feeling good, at least to start.
Now all that's changed, at least for tonight.
Crawford will hit seventh and play left field for the Red Sox in their second game of a three-game series against the Rangers.
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Hitting second will be designated hitter Pedro Ciriaco.
When Crawford returned to the lineup from injury two weeks ago, much was made of the fact that he was given a spot at the top of Boston's lineup immediately. He admitted to have lost confidence last season when then-manager Terry Francona dropped him to the bottom of the order after just a few at-bats for the Red Sox as a table-setter.
Will Crawford lose confidence again and begin to struggle as badly as he did last season? Has Bobby Valentine lost confidence in him? Is this just a one-time thing? Hard to say now, but it sure seems like a head-scratcher from the outside looking in.