Until Daisuke Matsuzaka wins a game, or at least levels out the rest of his numbers, his critics will constantly be looking back.

They will continue to ask, "Was the World Baseball Classic really worth it?"

Matsuzaka, on the other hand, is preferring to stare straight ahead. The rear-view mirror serves him no purpose these days.

"Obviously starting to play games in early March creates a different set of requirements in terms of having to train a little bit earlier, and I think that was a big difference. That said, it's very difficult trying to come up with a perfect formula on how to approach the offseason," Matsuzaka said through translator Masa Hoshino, prior to the Red Sox' series finale against the Blue Jays in Toronto. "Just because I'm in this situation now doesn't mean I would have done anything differently. I don't really have any regrets how I prepared for the tournament or the season."

But until the pitcher who finished fourth in the Cy Young voting last season shows up, the WBC-induced malaise Matsuzaka experienced out of the gate in his third major league season won't be forgotten.

Entering his start tonight at Comerica Park in Detroit, Matsuzaka has pitched in four games, going 0-3 with an 8.82 ERA. After leading the majors with a .211 batting average against last season, Matsuzaka's opponents are hitting .384 against him this tie around, with a .658 slugging percentage.

To be fair, his two starts since returning from the 15-day disabled list haven't been horrific, having gone five innings in each, giving up four and three runs, respectively. But, still, the desired the results of the WBC-induced time off haven't jumped out like the Red Sox had hoped.

Asked if he was optimistic going forward, Matsuzaka laughed and said, "You have to be optimistic just to get by, right?"

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It was a slightly different spin on the same "I'm going to keep laughing because I'm not going to cry" mantra extolled by David Ortiz across the same clubhouse just a few days before. But, for Matsuzaka, it is a philosophy he isn't about to let go of, even with the chances of coming close to last season's total of 18 wins seeming so slim.

"Compared to before I went on the DL, physically I feel much better. And physically I feel comfortable going into the game," Matsuzaka explained. "The one thing right now is that I haven't been able to get wins in my starts and as a starting pitcher wins are very important, but I also think getting that first win, no matter who I prepared or the exact context of how am pitching, is very important. Mentally, getting that under my belt is something I would really like to do. I'm not going to obsess over that first win, but it is very important."

The other elephant in the room when it comes to Matsuzaka's situation is whether or not he will be able to fend off the trend rolled out by Japanese pitchers who have previously made the transition to the majors. History shows that the third year is always the toughest when it comes to continuing major league success.

Perhaps one of the aspects of Matsuzaka's situation when it comes to the usual progression is that he has been forced to continue his evolution. Even with the results of a year ago, nobody -- including the pitcher, himself -- has thought he had it all figured out.

"I haven't really thought about my need to change my pitching style, or make a conscious effort to do so. In general I maintain my same pitching style, so to speak," he said. "But one of the new things that has been handed me since I've come over here is the need to go deep into games with a limited number of pitches. That's a new demand, and I wouldn't go so far as to say I need to change my pitching style to accommodate that, but I think the thing I need to do is within my pitching (style) is to find a way.

"I never really at any point in my career have been truly satisfied, but I am happy to be here."