Josh Beckett and Jason Varitek are happy to have the first half behind them, and another Sox win in their pockets.

AP photo / Michael Dwyer

BOSTON –– The Red Sox players and staff couldn’t get out of Fenway Park quick enough Sunday evening.

After dismissing the Kansas City Royals, 6-0, with the help of Josh Beckett’s complete-game shutout, the Sox put the unofficial first half (88 of 162 games) behind them and will use the next three days (the club will practice on Thursday in Toronto) to completely erase baseball from their minds.

With the exception of the five All-Stars –– Tim Wakefield, Jonathan Papelbon, Josh Beckett, Kevin Youkilis and Jason Bay ( Dustin Pedroia is staying home to be with his pregnant wife) –– the rest of the Red Sox players plan on doing next to nothing.

Boston heads into the break with a three-game lead over the Yankees –– who were swept by their nemeses, the Angels, in Anaheim over the weekend –– in the A.L. East. It’s the fifth consecutive season the Sox have had the lead at the break. With Sunday’s victory, the Sox are 54-34, which is the club’s fifth-best mark before the break since 1954.

“Our record is what we stand by, because that’s what matters,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. “We’ve been a little beat up, but our guys have done a great job of grinding this out. It’s a good time for the break and hopefully everyone takes advantage of it. The guys going to the All-Star Game, they will have fun, win and be safe. We will come back and try to pick up right where we left off.”

The Red Sox have dealt with a batch of injuries in the first half of the season to key players, including Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis. When the club arrives in Toronto on Thursday, it expects to activate Lowell and rehabbing shortstop Jed Lowrie.

“It feels like we’re starting to hit our stride,” said Lowell. “I think we’re capable of playing really good baseball for long stretches, but we’re all looking for consistency.”

While players like Lowrie, Lowell and others have been out of the lineup with injuries, others like Nick Green have stepped up and produced when needed.

“I think we all need a break,” Green said. “At some point, you end up playing so much and grinding so much. We’ve had a lot of tough games lately, so those things can wear you down. This break is much-needed for us.”

For some, the break isn’t necessarily coming at the best time.

Red Sox slugger David Ortiz struggled badly for the first two months of the season, but he’s finally found his swing and is crushing the ball. He will return to the Dominican Republic to attend to some family matters. He said he’s not worried about having four days off at this point.

“We need to relax and come back strong,” he said. “Everybody knows what we need to do here. We need to come back and play good. We can’t put pressure on ourselves. We need to let things happen, like they did in the first half.”

Pedroia, who was voted by the fans to be the starting second baseman for the A.L. All-Stars, decided Saturday that he would stay in Boston to be with his wife, who is a few weeks away from giving birth to their first child. He knows these next few days off will help in the long run.

“It’s a good way to finish, too,” said Pedroia. “When we come back, we have to be ready. There are still a lot of games left, but it’s the final stretch. We have to try to extend [the team’s lead in the standings] over a lot of great teams in our division. It’ll be tough, but we’re in it for the long haul.”

There will be some changes in the pitching rotation after the break: Clay Buchholz has been called up from Pawtucket and will start against the Blue Jays on Friday.

The pitching staff certainly needs a rest, especially the bullpen, which has been taxed of late.

“I hope everybody can relax and get away. For the guys not going to the All-Star game that’s the goal,” said Jon Lester. “You try to get as far away from baseball as you can and spend time with your family and regroup. Sometimes the break can hurt guys who are doing well, or help guys who aren’t. With the way we’re playing right now, hopefully we can come back and continue to play well.”

“This is going to be a good break, especially for our bullpen. They need a breather because they’ve carried us quite a bit through the first half of the season. We’ve picked them up a few times the last couple of weeks, but they still have a lot of grinding innings ahead.”

Francona’s plan for the next few days is simple. He plans on sitting in his backyard with a crossword puzzle.

jmcdonal@projo.com