For the Red Sox, who will travel to England on Wednesday night, this coming weekend will offer an opportunity to sight-see, visit historical locations and, not incidentally, provide two chances to cut into the growing chasm that exists in the American League standings between themselves and the rival New York Yankees.
But thanks to the schedule drawn up by Major League Baseball, with input from the Players Association, there is another feature to the trip which could positively impact the team: two days off Thursday and Friday, and another after the two-game series concludes on Monday.
The three days off in the span of five calendar days in an anomaly over the course of the long season, a respite usually limited to the All-Star break.
But this second stretch of off-days could not come fast enough for an overworked bullpen which has shown signs of fatigue in recent days and weeks.
On Saturday, Red Sox' relievers suffered their 15th blown save in the eighth inning, and when it resulted in a crushing defeat to the Toronto Blue Jays, it marked the seventh time the Sox had lost a game in which they led after seven innings.
By comparison, the 2018 Sox lost just four such games en route to a title. And while the Sox have dropped seven games in which they were leading after seven, the four other teams ahead of them in the American League -- the Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros -- have combined to lose just three in the first half of the season.
Part of the issue for Boston's relievers can be traced to their workload. Six times in the month of June alone, either because of performance or injury, Red Sox starters failed to pitch at least five innings, resulting in relievers being asked to get as many as 12 or more outs. Additionally, the team has played four extra-inning games this month, further burdening the bullpen.
A handful of Red Sox relievers -- including several of the high-leverage variety, the sort to whom the Sox often turn with late-inning leads -- are on pace to establish career highs in innings or appearances, if not both.
- Matt Barnes, their most trusted reliever, was on pace before Monday to appear in 71 games after pitching in a career-high 62 last season.
- Brandon Workman, the staff leader in games pitched with 38, is on pace for 71 games. He's never before appeared in more than 43 big league games in a single season.
- Ryan Brasier has already appeared in one more game (35) than he did all of last season for Boston (34).
- Marcus Walden, who has never appeared in more than eight games in a single major league season, is on pace to pitch in more than 60.
- Heath Hembree ranks among the top 20 in appearances among A.L. relievers -- despite spending the last two weeks on the IL.