In Carl Crawford's case, his hamstring strain allowed him to wipe the slate clean after a pretty rough first half — the worst of his career in terms of batting average and on-base percentage. He was able to rest his oh-so-valuable legs, clear his head, take a ton of cuts in the batting cage and eventually jump back into an offense that has been clicking on all cylinders.
Crawford has jumped in headfirst and his manager is seeing the benefits of that time off. Terry Francona said prior to Sunday's 12-8 win over Seattle that he actually thinks Crawford looks "a little bit better" since coming off the disabled list Monday.
Following the game, which saw Crawford go 3-for-4 with two RBIs, there was even more to take in.
"He sure does," Francona said when asked if Crawford looks more comfortable. "You've got to give him a lot of credit. While he was down, he worked real hard. We weren't really worried about his legs because he worked so hard and he was moving around so much, but he did so much hitting, and he's come back and gotten himself comfortable real quick. That's really helpful to us."
Crawford is 9-for-24 (.375) with two doubles, four RBIs and four runs scored in the six games since returning from the injury. On Sunday, he doubled and scored in the first, singled in the third and then knocked in two runs with another base hit in the fifth.
The effort put his average at .254, the first time it has been above .250 all season.
Afterward, he admitted that the time off, while not welcome initially, has given him a little extra something upon return.
"I feel great. Swing feels a little better. Starting get into a little groove," Crawford said. "Hopefully I continue to get better with each and every game."
The Red Sox offense began to flourish long before Crawford got hurt legging out an infield single against Milwaukee on June 17, and it continued to do so in his absence. To take the attack to a new level, if there is one for this loaded lineup, it will need Crawford to provide punch from that sixth spot in the order.
The star-studded first five in the everyday lineup get all the notoriety, but this offense truly clicks when the latter half of the order is chipping in. Crawford, Josh Reddick and Jarrod Saltalamacchia — the six through eight hitters in Sunday's order — were a combined 8-for-13 with seven RBIs and four runs scored.
Normally a top-of-the-lineup figure, Crawford acts almost as a leadoff man for that crew, and they knew he would eventually provide that lift.
"He's a career .300 hitter," Saltalamacchia said of Crawford. "He's not going to all of the sudden start hitting .220. He's healthy. His hamstring's good. That's the main thing right now."
Indeed, since a miserable April, Crawford has hit .305 (58-for-190) with 31 runs scored and 29 RBIs in 49 games. With a little time off to reset, it appears as if he will sustain those career norms, or surpass them, going forward.
He has made the early struggles a faint memory.
"He was struggling [in April]," Francona said. "Everything was so late and quick. Now he's getting in a hitting position so much easier. There's balance and he's seeing the ball, swinging at strikes and using the whole field. Looks like Crawford."
