Red Sox schedule in April: Two series to watch

April looks to be a busy opening month to the 2023 season for the Boston Red Sox. The club has just two off days on the calendar. Let’s look more closely at some things worth watching for this month.

Rich Hill returns

Three separate tours with the Red Sox have made Massachusetts native Rich Hill a fan favorite in Boston. The now 43-year-old left-hander signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a free agent this offseason on a one-year deal worth $8 million. The Pirates will come to Fenway for three games, April 3-5. 

Hill was 8-7 with a 4.27 ERA for the Red Sox last season, making 26 starts. 

Unfortunately, early projections have Hill taking the second turn in Pittsburgh’s rotation behind Mitch Keller meaning he likely won’t start one of the games in Boston. The spot could have him pitching in Pittsburgh’s home opener. 

Boston was 2-1 against Pittsburgh in 2022. 

Ohtani, Trout and the Angels

The Los Angeles Angels come to town April 14-17. This means two of the sport’s best players, Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, will be playing at Fenway. The four-game series includes Monday’s Patriots Day game, with an 11:10 AM start. 

In 10 games at Fenway, Ohtani has hit .317/.349/.537 with a pair of home runs. He has pitched once off the Boston mound, throwing seven scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts. 

Trout holds a .306/.417/.432 mark at Fenway for his career. He has only hit one home run in 132 career plate appearances in Boston. 

Boston won four of the seven matchups between the two teams last season.

Boston also plays Baltimore, Minnesota and Cleveland at Fenway in April.