It’s all about the Boston Red Sox now.

The Boston Celtics’ little playoff fling is over. They put up a fight – literally and figuratively – against the Cleveland Cavaliers in their unexpected first-round NBA playoff series. But reality caught up with the Celts, as LeBron James and company were far too much for Boston to handle.

The Boston Bruins never got that far. They were on the outside looking in as 16 teams began the battle for Lord Stanley’s Cup. General Manager Peter Chiarelli is gone, and the reconstruction of the team is under way.

It’s been eight years since both of the TD Garden tenants hit the offseason this early. After a long, cold winter, spring has hit us abruptly.

As the spotlight swings to baseball, the Sox were giving up 18 runs in Baltimore on Sunday. It was the most runs scored against Boston in nearly two years.

Not to sound redundant, but it’s all about the pitching for the 2015 Red Sox. Boston’s rotation began the week with a 5.75 ERA, the highest of any in baseball. Sox starters had turned in a quality start (six or more innings giving up three or fewer runs) in just eight of the first 19 games.

Wade Miley hasn’t given the Sox much quality since joining the team. He has four starts with Boston, and a team-high ERA of 8.62. Twice he hasn’t made it out of the third inning. In three of his starts, he has walked more batters than he’s struck out.

And he’s already received a three-year, $19.25 million contract extension.

Miley has been the worst of the five-man rotation, but he’s not the only one struggling. Rick Porcello (6.48), Justin Masterson (5.16) and Clay Buchholz (4.84) all sport ERAs over 4.50.

The bullpen has its issues, too.

Koji Uehara seems to have lost his velocity, and the team has to be concerned that the 40-year old closer isn’t going to be fooling anyone with his split-fingered fastball anytime soon.

He suffered his first blown save of the season Saturday night when he gave up two runs in the 10th inning, and he has given up more than a hit an inning and has survived some loud outs in his three saves.

He says he’s not worried about the lack of velocity.

We are.

The bullpen has been overused and is paying the price. Sox relievers couldn’t stop the bleeding Sunday in Baltimore, giving up 11 runs in 6-2/3 innings after Miley left the game.

All of this is happening while Boston’s bats have shown signs of life. Red Sox batters hit back-to-back homers twice over the weekend in Baltimore.

David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez did it Friday night; on Sunday it was Pablo Sandoval and Ramirez.

The lineup is a far cry from the anemic offense of 2014. In an offense-challenged era, the Sox have assembled hitters who should produce. They just need to pitch well enough.

They seemed to be doing that at the start of the season, jumping to a 7-3 record. The good vibes from that start were beaten into submission by the Orioles.

The pitching has to be better. Ready or not, spring is here and summer isn’t far away. Offense alone won’t be enough to carry the Red Sox into autumn.

Tom Caron is the studio host for the Red Sox broadcast on NESN. His column appears in the Portland Press Herald on Tuesdays.