FORT MYERS, Fla. -- For about 90 minutes Sunday afternoon, Daisuke Matsuzaka felt great. It was a nice change of pace for the pitcher.

The comfort level wasn't hard to notice. On more than one occasion, it has taken Matsuzaka 30 minutes to get out of his first inning. This time, he didn't even need the entire half-hour to complete his first three frames.

The fastball was popping (up to 96 MPH, according to one radar gun). The St. Louis hitters were on their heels. And misplaced pitches were few and far between.

The signature moments of the afternoon came during each of the three times Matsuzaka went head-to-head with Albert Pujols. The Sox' fifth starter needed to pump in a fastball against a hitter who has hit a mind-blowing .370 against heaters over the past three seasons. But unlike in seasons past, the righty didn't hesitate.

"To have Pujols waiting for a fastball and still be able to throw a fastball and either get a strike or a foul ball," he said through translator Kenta Yamada. "I felt lucky to be able to throw to such a strong hitter to check my condition and what level I am at."

Suddenly, the fastball -- a pitch he had only managed to get up to 96 mph two times since the outset of 2008 -- was his friend.

"Just like last outing I was able to throw strikes using the breaking ball, and also I had great life on my fastball," Matsuzaka said. "It was not necessary to throw to the corners because my fastball was strong enough to throw down the middle."

It was clear, Matsuzaka was in a good place. The mound was his sanctuary, a notion that hasn't always been the case throughout his four-plus seasons with the Red Sox.

The circumstances regarding how Matsuzaka might have found this state of mind are both unfortunate, and encouraging. As has been the case with so many aspects of the pitcher's existence in the major leagues, the explanation may be complex in nature.

The most important piece of the puzzle to consider could be uncovered Saturday morning.

It was then Matsuzaka graciously (as usual) agreed to participate in an interview involving an American journalist and Yamada. But after digesting the first baseball-related question -- pausing for an extended period of time -- Matsuzaka politely relayed that he would rather not talk about baseball quite yet, while the uncertainty surrounding the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear complex continued to unfold.

He explained that it was difficult to separate the concern he held for his friends and family from analyzing his current lot in life on the pitching mound. The priority was keeping his focus on life halfway across the world, and talking about anything else wouldn't be respectful of the situation.

Understood.

Just more than 24 hours later Matsuzaka could be seen in the Red Sox' clubhouse, sitting idly in front of his locker in preparation of his fifth spring training outing. All signs suggested that momentum of his previous outing might be derailed by understandable distractions. Not the case.

In between taking care of business on the homefront, the 30-year-old has positioned himself to leave the kind of impression that Red Sox' fans have been desperately seeking for at least part of Matsuzaka's time with the team.

Before his previous start, against Detroit, Matsuzaka had bought into the idea presented by pitching coach Curt Young that instead of throwing his long-toss and bullpen session on the same day in-between starts, he stagger the process. The long-toss would come two days after an outing, followed the next day by his side session.

"I'm feeling comfortable with this new program, but I want to to keep watching it and see how this throwing program will fit me," Matsuzaka said.

"We're just trying to mix it up and find a good formula," Young added. 

This time the concoction of preparation and mind-set resulted in Matsuzaka's second straight encouraging outing. His confidence was highlighted by a quickened pace, the likes of which usually didn't accompany the pitcher's appearances.

By the time he arrived in the sixth inning, there had just been just one bloop single and a flurry of strikes. Matsuzaka did end the day having been charged with two runs, but those were of little consequence. 

For the pitcher, it was a moment of escape and encouragement. The concerns will continue, but for at least one day Matsuzaka had it all figured out.

"It's just seeing the same thing we saw last game, that consistent look of quality," Young said. "That was what was really positive today."