COMMENTARY
The 2018 Red Sox, you may have heard a couple times, opened 17-2. The bullpen blew one on Opening Day, then was a part of five one-run wins before the lopsided scorelines showed up: 14-1 on the Yankees, 10-3 on the Orioles, 27-3 over three against the West-leading Angels. It was good for a plus-70 run differential 19 games in — 123 scored, 53 allowed — and it sparked a hot streak that only ended with a trophy in October.
It felt like a long time ago at the beginning of this season, as 1-3 became 2-8 and 6-13 and 9-15 when Detroit swept that doubleheader at Fenway on April 23.