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So, April is finally (mercifully) done. Overall, it was a disappointing month that started with 100-win potential and aspirations of a world championship and ended with an 11-14 record, including four losses in the last five games to the Orioles and Mariners.

In between Opening Day in Texas and last night’s frustration on offense, there was a six-game losing streak to start the season and an extraordinary string of performances by the starting pitchers that brought the team to within a game of .500 before the end-of-month struggles against two of the league’s weak sisters.

On May Day, we hope the next five months will improve significantly. For now, here is how I grade the Red Sox roster on its April performance:

The Starting Rotation

Josh Beckett: B+
He started the month with a so-so outing in Cleveland and ended it with a disappointing effort in Baltimore (in which he surrendered a pair of home runs), but the three outings in between were brilliant (23 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 5 BB, 24K) and reminded Red Sox Nation just how good he can be when he is “on.” The question is which Josh Beckett will show up in May—the guy who shut down the Yankees, Blue Jays and Angels, or the one who lost to the Indians and Orioles?

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