Major League Baseball

Francona drops Crawford to No. 7 in Red Sox lineup

Published Apr. 3, 2011 1:36 p.m. ET

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The Boston Red Sox have dropped Carl Crawford in their batting order, moving their new $142 million man from third to seventh in the order.

Crawford went 0 for 7 with four strikeouts and a walk over his first two games for Boston. Manager Terry Francona said that ''it's obvious he's trying too hard,'' so he eased the pressure for Sunday's game against the Texas Rangers.

The outfielder's move down in the order is simply to regain some confidence. Francona said that ''as soon as he gets on base and starts causing a little havoc, he'll loosen up and the real Carl will come out.''

Crawford's struggles are magnified because Boston lost its first two games.

Boston signed Crawford to the lucrative, seven-year deal because of his combination of speed, power and average.