SEATTLE -- After recording his first save of the season Friday night, Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes received a congratulatory text from someone who had done it 108 times over the last three years for Boston.

Barnes said Ex-Sox closer Craig Kimbrel texted him after the game, congratulating him on just the third save of his career. While hasn’t been named the full-time closer, it appears Barnes will be Alex Cora’s go-to guy in high-leverage, late-game situations.

Barnes considers Kimbrel, who remains a free agent, a close friend. The sixth-year reliever tried to learn as much as he could from the future Hall of Famer in their three years as teammates.

“I was fortunate enough to have Craig here for multiple years,” Barnes said Friday. “Learned a lot from him and the way he goes about his business and conducts himself. So I try to pull on some of that stuff. He’s been a great friend.”

One part of Kimbrel’s routine Barnes has adopted is the practice of working out after games instead of before them. Following Kimbrel’s lead, Barnes worked out after games last season and did the same Friday night.

“I want to make sure my legs feel as fresh and as good as possible for a game,” Barnes said. “If I work out prior to a game, I don’t want to expend any energy then. If I work out now, I have all night and tomorrow morning... almost 24 hours for my body to recover as opposed to six hours before I have to pitch."