Red Sox Monthly Review: Looking back at April

Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports After last night’s win over the Rangers, the Red Sox ended the first month of the season at 17-10. Even without considering the preseason expectations, 17-10 is a good month by any standard you choose to set. It’s a .630 winning percentage, which over the course of 162 games extrapolates to 102 wins. To go back to the preconceptions, 17-10 should blow away even the most optimistic of Red Sox fans. So, how did they get here?

You have to start with the offensive production, particularly from the big hitters in the lineup. J.D. Martinez hit .351/.430/.745 with nine home runs. Rafael Devers finished the month at .293/.371/.587 with seven home runs. Xander Bogaerts…