Go west, Red Sox

Boston getting long trips out of the way early this year

It appears the scheduling gods are smiling down on the Red Sox this year.

They memorably opened up last season against the Oakland A’s in Japan, then continued on to the West Coast before finishing the harrowing road trip in Toronto. After the All-Star break, the Sox ventured to the Pacific again.

Traditionally, the Sox have always endured a second-half West Coast trip.

Not this year. Boston — currently on a six-game stretch through Los Angeles and Oakland — will knock both western swings out in the first two months once they’ve concluded a May road trip.

“It’s a long ways to go and it seems like we’ve been stuck out there a bunch the last few years,” J.D. Drew said. “That is the one benefit of leaving to go out [west] early. Go out. Get it done. Then just work on things being at home.”

Can going early on be something they’ll use to their advantage later?

“I don’t know how many times we were across the world last year, and then on the West Coast to start,” Jason Varitek said. “It’s good weather-wise. That’s always a bonus to [go west] early and get them out of the way.”