by Jon Paul Morosi

After more than a month on the DL, Dice-K must show quick improvement in his return if he wishes to keep his place on the roster. (Winslow Townson / Associated Press)

That leaves Daisuke Matsuzaka. He is currently 1-4 with a 7.33 ERA in six starts.

Matsuzaka is scheduled to pitch Saturday against the Phillies, and his outing is sure to be monitored closely by team officials. Dice-K spent more than a month on the disabled list earlier this season with a mild right shoulder strain; if the shoulder affects his performance Saturday, it's conceivable that Matsuzaka could return to the DL when Smoltz joins the rotation.

Matsuzaka spoke with FoxSports.com on Thursday, through interpreter Masa Hoshino.

Q: You said after your last start that your pitching was "plain." Can you elaborate a little on what that means?

A: I'm the kind of pitcher that, when I get into a jam, that's really when I'm able to pitch at my best. What I meant when I said my pitching was "plain" is that I wasn't able to vary my approach, in terms of really attacking and backing off a little bit — that variation between pitching hard and pitching soft. Some of that is using changes in velocity, getting the batters off their timing. Being able to pitch strong and also soft, that's the adjustment I'd like to make for my next start.

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Q: How concerned are you that the opposing batting average has increased since last year (.373 from .211)?

A: When I'm getting hit, it's those pitches that come back to the middle. Here in the big leagues, you have so many good hitters with so much power. Even if you make a good pitch, if it ends up in the middle of the zone, they're going to do some damage. I need to move the ball around a little more effectively, hit some tougher locations. I don't think the pitches themselves have been that bad. I need to move the ball around more and not let it sit on any particular location.

Q: Is the fact that you have had trouble locating related to the shoulder fatigue you had at the beginning of the season?

A: I don't think it has so much to do with the fatigue. It's more to do with the adjustments I would usually make during spring training. I wasn't able to do that this year (because of the World Baseball Classic), so I have to make those adjustments in games and in the midst of the season. In trying to make those adjustments, my feel for the ball can be off at times. But I also know that if I continue to pitch in games, those things are going to fit into place.

Q: How close are you to the 100 percent level that would have resulted from a full spring training?

A: I think the big question is how close I can get to that mental image I have in each game — how much closer I can get to what you call the "100 percent." I don't think I'll ever be at 100 percent, but that doesn't mean I'm not ready to pitch in a game. I definitely want to get to that point. ... Either way, 100 percent is something that's really difficult to achieve. I'm just talking about trying to get to that higher standard as quickly as possible. I'm still incomplete as a pitcher. (But) I don't think I'll ever be at 100 percent.

I also think that, given enough time to prepare, it would be easier. This year is a special case. I'm aware of that. So I know that I shouldn't rush things. At the same time, I don't want to be a burden on this team. I need to do my job. It's a balance between not rushing and trying to get through these things as quickly as possible.

Q: Do you hope things could be back to normal for you after a couple more starts?

A: I think so. What's really important is to get to that point I really need to give each pitch and each inning a lot of weight.