BOSTON — It is June, but the Red Sox are already thinking about October — mostly because they remember last October well.

They remember last postseason, when Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka were strong and durable, in no small part because of some down time during the 2007 regular season.

Beckett missed two starts last month when he spent time on the disabled list due to an avulsion on his finger. Matsuzaka, in his first season in the major leagues, was given extra rest in September to help overcome some fatigue.

This time, the Red Sox are planning ahead.

Tim Wakefield, who last started Saturday against Seattle, will get six days’ rest before his next appearance, Saturday in Cincinnati. Beckett will make his next start, Sunday, on regular rest, but thanks to an off-day in the schedule next Thursday and the expected return of Matsuzaka, his next start will come with the benefit of about nine days’ rest.

That’s the equivalent of skipping a start.

“I think there’s a huge benefit,” said Wakefield yesterday. “It’s the time of the year when it starts to get hot and everybody can use a little break. It’s midseason and everyone is about halfway through their (number of) starts. It’s important to take the long view here.”

“I think (the time off) helped me last year,” said Beckett. “We’ll see this time. But it definitely will help (now) with some of the aches and pains you get during the season.”

Prior to last year, the last two American League champions suffered from “World Series fatigue” the following season.

The 2005 Chicago White Sox virtually ignored their bullpen in the postseason and their starters paid for the workload the following season. Likewise, a year after winning the 2006 pennant, a few members of the Tigers’ rotation experienced down seasons, led by Jeremy Bonderman.

Credit the Red Sox for recognizing the significance of resting their starters. The wonder is that more teams haven’t joined them in the discovery.

“Some teams,” said Terry Francona, “probably don’t agree with it. But also, it’s not an easy thing to do. It’s very difficult, when you’re in uniform, to look long-term because you want to win tonight. It’s hard to look down the road.

“But this organization does a good job of that.”

The Sox can also boast depth in starting pitching that few other teams can match. When the season began, neither rookie Justin Masterson nor veteran Bartolo Colon was part of the team’s rotation. This morning, they have combined to win seven games and the Sox are 7-2 in games started by the duo.

While most clubs have a hard time fielding a serviceable five-man rotation, the Red Sox have an embarrassment of riches, and that includes Clay Buchholz, currently doing some post-graduate work on his fastball at Pawtucket.

“Having guys like Masterson and Colon helps,” agreed Francona. “If you have (sixth and seventh starters) getting hit around, that doesn’t help (give rest to the other starters).”

Later in the season, the Sox can work in some rest for Colon, who didn’t make his first start until May 21 and, for now, doesn’t need the rest.

Of course, the Red Sox carefully monitor pitch count and between-starts workloads, but the greatest benefit of all is some down time — especially if you have the personnel and corresponding schedule to allow it.

“All those innings take a toll,” said Wakefield. “You’ve got to look at the end of the season, too. Yeah, these games are important to win. But you’ve got to be at your best when you get to September and October or all the other wins don’t mean anything. You need your horses to be fresh.”

In today’s game, it can be argued, that’s more important than ever. The introduction of the extra round of playoffs means top-of-the-rotation starters can make as many as six more starts in October. At an average of seven innings per outing, that’s more than 40 innings — on top of the 200 or so that are accumulated during the regular season.

“And,” pointed out catcher Jason Varitek, “those (postseason) innings aren’t easy innings. They’re pressure innings against very good lineups. So if you can give the time off (during the season), it’s always beneficial.”

There are times, as was the case last year with Beckett (finger) and Wakefield (shoulder), that the time off is unplanned. But even time lost to injury is time not spent on the mound, allowing for arms and legs to rest and muscles to regenerate.

Either way, the time off pays for itself later.

smcadam@projo.com