Daisuke Matsuzaka, delivering a first-inning pitch, walked a career-high eight batters.

AP / Paul Sancya

DETROIT — Daisuke Matsuzaka was not feeling well, said manager Terry Francona.

He’s still feeling the effects of the flu that cost him a start against the Angels two weeks ago, said the manager. So when Francona started him last night against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, he didn’t know how long Dice-K would be able to go.

It turned out Matsuzaka was able to last only five innings. Along the way he walked a whopping eight batters in a 109-pitch struggle, but still came out with the victory in Boston’s 6-3 triumph over the slumping Tigers.

Two-run homers by Mike Lowell (second inning) and Kevin Youkilis (fourth) helped carry Dice-K, and a solo homer by David Ortiz in the ninth put the exclamation point on Boston’s sixth win in the last seven games.

“There are not too many nights where you walk that many and get through it, but he did,” said Francona. “He’s still physically not where he wants to be after his bout (with the flu). He was hacking and coughing before the game. He didn’t have his strength or his best stuff. But he pitched with a lot of heart. He really competes.”

Matsuzaka didn’t want to use being sick as an alibi for another outing in which he struggled mightily with his command.

“I’m not 100 percent but I’m not so bad I can’t pitch,” said Matsuzaka. “My command was my biggest problem. Physically, I was way off today. My feeling on the ball was off entirely today. I didn’t achieve too much out there today.”

What he did achieve was a victory that improved his record to 5-0.

Only two pitchers in the American League have more victories than he does, and they have six. His earned-run average is 2.43, the third-lowest mark in the league.

So how come he has looked more like a No. 4 or No. 5 starter than he does a right-hander the Red Sox committed $103.1 million to in securing him from Japan before the 2007 season to be an ace of the staff for many years?

Here’s how.

Ball one. Ball two. Ball three. Ball four.

Pitch after pitch after pitch, the tosses to the plate adding up in decidedly un-ace-like bunches, driving up his pitch count early and turning him into a six-inning pitcher – at best.

Last night was no exception. Maybe the fact he wasn’t feeling well had something to do with it, but he couldn’t find the plate, once again unable to find a “go-to” pitch in his supposedly deep reservoir of options.

The eight walks was a career high, and he fanned only one. Only 60 of his pitches were strikes.

The odd part of his performance last night was that he had a no-hitter going until Curtis Granderson lined his 89th pitch of the night into center for a two-out RBI single in the fourth, trimming Boston’s lead to 4-1. He gave up only two hits.

After an up-and-down season in 2007 that was tailor-made with easy excuses — new culture, different baseballs, getting used to the umpiring, tougher travel — it was expected that Dice-K would blossom in his second year in Boston.

That hasn’t happened. His first two starts, against Oakland (one in Japan, one in Oakland), were solid. But Matsuzaka has managed to go as long as seven innings in only one start, his last start, a seven-inning, two-hit shutout performance against Toronto last Wednesday.

The bottom line is that Matsuzaka is averaging roughly 5 2/3 innings per start.

And his bugaboo is the base on balls.

Dice-K has walked at least four in four of his seven starts. His pitch totals for the most part have been way too high — 95 (5 innings); 96 (6 2/3); 108 (6 2/3); 116 (5); 101 (5 1/3), 111 (7) and the 109 last night.

He has surrendered only 22 hits in his 40 2/3 innings, but the walks (27) and the long counts are forcing manager Terry Francona to call on the bullpen earlier than he likely has anticipated having to do.

And there have been games when he hasn’t been able to put away hitters for strikeouts, either. Last night Dice-K fanned just the one batter, albeit a big whiff of the dangerous Magglio Ordonez (.311) with two on and one out in the third.

Matsuzaka has punched out four or fewer batters in each of his last four starts, a total of 11 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings, hardly the ratio the Red Sox thought they’d be when they signed him to such a lucrative deal. Indeed, his early season can be broken down in two parts. He was 2-0 with 9 walks, 22 strikeouts and a 1.47 ERA in 18 1/3 innings over his first three starts. He is 3-0 with 18 walks, 11 strikeouts and a 3.22 ERA in 22 1/3 innings over his last four starts.

So how in the world is this pitcher 5-0? Credit the offense for backing him on most nights. While Matsuzaka has one 2-1 win, the Sox’ offense has taken care of business in his other games, as it did last night.

skrasner@projo.com