Boston starter Josh Beckett and catcher Jason Varitek leave the field after the Angels’ third out in the sixth inning.

BOSTON — Pitching is all about having a routine and sticking to it.

Red Sox ace Josh Beckett tries to keep his — for lack of a better term — routine. There’s nothing fancy about his preparation but whatever he’s doing, it’s working effectively.

With all the inclement weather around Fenway Park the last couple of days, it’s been hard for him to get into a rhythm, especially since he was originally scheduled to throw on Sunday but the game was postponed. He was pushed back a day and there were questions whether yesterday’s game would also be postponed. Plus, the starting time of 10 a.m. was pushed back to 12:15 p.m.

He admitted the last couple of days threw him and his preparations for a loop. “It’s definitely different,” said Beckett after yesterday’s strong six-inning performance. “It feels like the losers’ bracket of an AAU Tournament or something, getting ready for a 10 o’clock game.”

He went to bed at 8 p.m. on Sunday, woke up at 6:47 and prepared accordingly, figuring the Sox and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim would play the final game of their series.

The time and the rain delay didn’t seem to affect him.

Once the game got going, the right-hander allowed just one run on six hits with one walk and five strikeouts to improve to 3-0 on the season.

“He did a good job,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. “And, they made him work hard, too. We knew they would because they didn’t want to lose today. There were a lot of foul balls and they got deep into counts, but he pitched very well and got some good defense behind him, too.”

It’s the second year in a row Beckett has started the season 3-0, but this time around he’s been dominant.

The right-hander has allowed just three runs in his first three starts (20 innings) to record a 1.35 ERA with 18 strikeouts.

It seems as though Beckett is a different pitcher this season. It appears his delivery is slower and more deliberate, which has allowed him to be more effective.

He’s said he’s made some slight adjustments, but he’s not focusing on last summer.

“I’m not worried about last year,” he said. “I’m worried about this year. I’m worried about keeping my team in games and trying to help them win this year. There’s nothing I can do about last year. I just need to continue to make pitches when I need to because that’s been the key to my success.”

The one run he allowed was a solo home run by the Angels’ Orlando Cabrera in the top of the first inning.

He followed that by hitting Vladimir Guerrero off the right wrist, causing the Anaheim slugger to leave the game with a soft-tissue contusion.

Beckett was issued a warning and quickly regained composure.

Beckett’s teammates responded by scoring six runs in the bottom of the first inning to give its starter a nice five-run cushion. Beckett also received some fabulous defensive plays, mainly from shortstop Julio Lugo, to keep the afternoon short.

Beckett “pitched extremely well,” said Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek. “He kept us in it and only gave up that one run. … It helps to put eight or nine runs on the board. But when push comes to shove, we’re going to have to rely on this pitching staff to get it done.”

Only 11 games into the season and Beckett hasn’t been the only Red Sox pitcher to be successful. Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield and Daisuke Matsuzaka also have been solid.

Beckett “was impressive,” said Lugo. “He made the pitches when he needed to and he threw strikes when he needed to. His breaking ball was sharp, and he threw it for strikes. I think he’s going to be good.”

Most of the Red Sox players arrived at Fenway just before 8 a.m.

Beckett was already there, sitting on the couch in the clubhouse, tinkering with his grip on a baseball. He was relaxed. He was ready and it showed in his performance.

Not a bad routine.

jmcdonal@projo.com