BOSTON — Having swept the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim out of the playoffs in the American League Division Series, the Red Sox have themselves another opponent before the American League Championship Series even begins: boredom.

Making quick work of the Angels came with a price. Since the start of series is locked in ahead of time, the Sox can’t play another game until Friday, when they make their third appearance in the last five seasons in the ALCS.

Until then, the Sox will need to do a balancing act — getting enough rest between series, while not getting stale.

The Sox’ sweep was only minutes old when the topic came up in the euphoria of the visitors’ clubhouse Sunday afternoon.

“We’ll map out the week as it best suits us,” said manager Terry Francona. “We’ll certainly get our guys ready to play. We’ll get guys throwing, get guys hitting and stay ready.”

As a mixture of ice water, champagne and beer ran down his face, general manager Theo Epstein voiced confidence that the down time wouldn’t be a hindrance for his club.

“I think we play well with rest,” said Epstein. “I think we demonstrated that this round. We know we’ll be rested and we’ll be healthy. We’ll be able to stay sharp. We have the ability to throw in a (simulated) game here and there.”

Though the Red Sox have been buoyed by an influx of younger players this season — rookie second baseman Dustin Pedroia and outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury — the roster is full of veterans. Among the nine regulars, only Coco Crisp, Kevin Youkilis and Pedroia are under 30.

Rest at this time of the season, particularly after cross-country travel over the weekend, won’t necessarily be a bad thing.

“It’s OK because we know ahead of time what we’re getting into,” said Mike Lowell. “We saw the schedule ahead of time. I don’t think we wanted this series to go five games, just to have less days off. We’ll take it as it comes, have our workouts and try to stay sharp and get ready for Game One.”

David Ortiz, fresh off a series that saw him hit two homers and knock in three runs, was concerned that the Sox could fall prey to the same rust that appeared to torpedo the Detroit Tigers last year in the World Series.

The Tigers swept the Oakland A’s in the ALCS, then had to wait almost a week before starting the World Series against St. Louis. When they did, the Tigers committed errors at an alarming rate and were beaten by the underdog Cards.

“I don’t like four days off,” said Ortiz. “You saw what happened last year. This is baseball. It’s not basketball or football. It’s all about rhythm.”

But Ortiz’s concerns were the exception rather than the rule in the joyous aftermath of their sweep. Confidence is sky-high and a few days off didn’t seem much of a threat to the Sox’ confidence or momentum.

“We’re starting to feel the flow,” said closer Jonathan Papelbon, “and it doesn’t matter who we go up against. We’ve got a lot of momentum in our dugout, and hopefully we can keep it.”

“I don’t think there should be any letdown,” agreed Lowell. “If you have a letdown because you have too many days off, then you have a problem.”

“With this team,” said Epstein, “I think being rested is probably more important than the fear of being a little bit rusty. I think we’ll be able to shake off that rust with the adrenaline that we have going.”

smcadam@projo.com