Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka delivers a pitch in the first inning of last night’s game against the Texas Rangers.

The Providence Journal / Gretchen Ertl

BOSTON –– Much has been made about how Daisuke Matsuzaka has been difficult to watch at times this season because of his propensity to throw so many pitches and allow so many baserunners, even as he has continued to win games.

Last night, Matsuzaka provided another example on how there is a different way to look at that issue –– that is, that he has been uncanny in getting the big out in a tough spot.

It happened in the top of the second, when a game that would turn into a Red Sox rout was still scoreless. Texas loaded the bases with two outs as Matsuzaka allowed a single and two walks sandwiched around a fielder’s choice and a strikeout.

Ramon Vazquez, who was hitting .318 on the season, came to the plate with a chance to give his team the lead.

The count went to 2-2, business as usual for Matsuzaka. Then it was more business as usual. Matsuzaka struck out Vazquez on a breaking ball that moved low and inside.

Matsuzaka has been unhittable in bases-loaded situations. Literally. The Vazquez at-bat was the 12th time he has been in that situation. Hitters are 0-for-12.

And it goes beyond that.

Entering play last night, Matsuzaka was holding opponents to a .125 average (6-for-48) with two outs and runners in scoring positions, tied for third-best in the American League. Matsuzaka is fourth in the majors, best in the American League, when opponents have put runners in scoring position with any number of outs. He was holding hitters to a .196 mark (18-for-92) in those situations.

The numbers will go only lower. The Rangers were 0-4 on the night with runners in scoring position. They were 0-2 with two outs.

“He’s one of the best at pitching himself into trouble, then pitching himself out of trouble,” is the way Dustin Pedroia describes it.

It’s all funny now

After winning the game 10-0, Jason Varitek could laugh about problems he and Matsuzaka had communicating last night. He visited the mound a couple times to talk to Matsuzaka and both came away smiling.

“The first time I don’t know what happened. He was trying to tell me something and I have no clue what actually happened,” Varitek related. “The next time (I realized) he had the signs mixed up. I think that’s what he was trying to tell me the first time. It continued to happen. We’re lucky it didn’t result in balls flying to the backstop.”

Wake plays catch

Tim Wakefield, who was placed on the disabled list Aug. 12 because of stiffness in the back of his right shoulder, will play catch tomorrow. It will be the first time the knuckleballer will have picked up a ball since Saturday, when discomfort in his shoulder forced him to forgo a side session.

Rotation change

Struggling rookie right-hander Clay Buchholz has been given an extra day between starts so he can get more work in the bullpen. The shift in the rotation also allows the Red Sox to pitch newly acquired right-hander Paul Byrd on his normal day, which will be tonight against Toronto. That will make for an unusual double for Byrd. In his last outing, he pitched against Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay. That was for Cleveland. Tonight, he will do the same thing in a Red Sox uniform. The last pitcher to do that was Kason Gabbard, just last season. He pitched against Cleveland for the Red Sox, was traded to Texas, and made his first start for Rangers against the Indians.

Colors by Cumberland police

The colors were presented before the game by members of the Cumberland Police Department. Bill Cosby, wearing a UMass shirt (he received his doctorate from the school), was among those throwing out the first pitch.

skrasner@projo.com / pkenyon@projo.com