Boston Red Sox April recap and May preview
Red Sox finish April 15-14 and now move on to a tough May schedule
The Boston Red Sox finished the month of April with a winning record at 15-14 thanks to a win against the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday afternoon. The fact that this is being celebrated, just shows how low the expectations are for this team.
With that said, this team has fought hard for a lot of their wins. The Red Sox have had three walk off wins, including two off the bat of Alex Verdugo. In a season where wins are at a premium, those games are notable difference makers.
The Red Sox have yet to be 2 games above .500, each chance they have had they have lost. They need to become more consistent. This starts with the starting pitching staff, which is second to last in the MLB at 6.05. Only the Oakland Athletics are worse with an unimaginable 8.51 ERA.
The month of May starts off with a real tough stretch. Four against the Blue Jays, three on the road against the reigning NL Champs Philadelphia Phillies and then a quick 2 game road series against the 19-9 Atlanta Braves. My predicted record for this stretch is 3-7. Against power house offenses, this is where the Red Sox pitching could really struggle to keep the games close.
The next six games, the Red Sox get the struggling St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners at home. The Red Sox have had good success against non playoff teams so far, so they should be able grab a 4-2 record.
Lastly, comes three series against current playoff contenders, before ending the month facing the Cincinnati Reds. The Red Sox take on former friend, Xander Bogaerts on the road in San Diego, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani in Anaheim, and then the surprising 16-13 Arizona Diamondbacks. Thanks to series win against the Reds, the Red Sox should go 7-6 in this stretch.
Adding up all the predicted records that would put the Red Sox at a below .500 record at 14-15. That would also put the Red Sox right at .500 after two months. If the starting pitching was like fans saw the last two days with Chris Sale and Brayan Bello, the Red Sox will not only be better than .500, but probably by more than just a game.
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