enlarge The Associated Press

John Smoltz pitched for the Sea Dogs as part of his rehab from shoulder surgery and says he’s just about ready to join the Red Sox.

TODAY'S GAME

WHO: Red Sox (Beckett 6-2) vs. New York Yankees (Burnett 4-2)

WHEN: 7:10 p.m.

WHERE: Fenway Park

TELEVISION: NESN

OF NOTE: The Red Sox won their first five games against the Yankees for the first time since 1985.

John Smoltz continues to rehab, looking very good in a 74-pitch outing with Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday night. Smoltz retired his final 10 batters, going six full innings against the Durham Bulls.

He will pitch again Thursday night in Syracuse and said he will be ready to go after that, perhaps as early as the start of Boston's next homestand on June 16.

What happens then? The Red Sox cannot go with a six-man rotation, not even for a short period of time. They have four of five Mondays off this month, meaning there would be too many days off for six starters to get in the necessary work.

There has been a lot of talk about a trade of Brad Penny, and that may be the way the Sox decide to go.

Penny was brought in for short money, and trading him for an asset that can help you down the road is the front-office equivalent of getting something for nothing.

There are weaknesses the Red Sox need to address, and Penny could be flipped for a player to fill one of those holes.

Even though David Ortiz is on a five-game hitting streak, the Red Sox are unsure what they can get out of their designated hitter on a game-to-game basis.

Even though shortstop Jed Lowrie is coming back soon from an injury, they could use an upgrade at that position.

Still, there is no reason for the Red Sox to rush into a deal. They can take their time to craft a trade that will bring an impact player to Boston. Often, those deals become more possible as we get closer to the trade deadline.

So what do they do in the meantime?

They could send Daisuke Matsuzaka to Pawtucket. In his third year, Matsuzaka cannot block such a move.

On Sunday, he gave up five runs and 10 hits in his longest start of the season -- just 52/3 innings.

Although Matsuzaka has yet to make it through six innings in his six starts this season, he has thrown 96 or more pitches in four of them.

In just 27 innings, he is tied for the American League lead in wild pitches with seven. Matsuzaka won 18 games last season when he was 8-0 by the start of June.

He has one win this year and has not given the Red Sox anything close to what they expect from a top-of-the-rotation starter.

Let's face it: Dice-K has been frustrating to watch since he first arrived here in 2007.

He has always nibbled around the plate, walking a league-high 94 batters in 29 starts last season, and he takes an agonizingly long time to do his job.

That frustration was a lot easier to take when he was winning games. Now, he seems to have made a concerted effort to "go after" hitters, and it's not quite working out.

He didn't walk a batter Sunday but gave up 10 hits in less than six innings. By the end of his outing, opponents were hitting .373 off Matsuzaka.

We can only imagine the reaction Matsuzaka would have to a demotion to the minors. This is a pitcher labeled a "national treasure" when he came here from Japan.

He has led his country to championships in both World Baseball Classics, being named MVP each time. The idea that Japan's best pitcher isn't able to stick in the majors could bring shame to Matsuzaka and his legions of fans back home.

The Red Sox could mitigate the outrage by convincing Matsuzaka he is still battling through the effects of pitching in the WBC, the shoulder fatigue that landed him on the disabled list earlier this season.

"I think my physical condition itself isn't that bad," Matsuzaka said through an interpreter after Sunday's loss.

"But there are things that I am working on right now that I would normally take care of in the preseason or in the offseason. So, in that sense, it might take a little bit more time."

Sounds like Matsuzaka could use a little time working on those issues, and another rehab trip to Pawtucket could buy him that time.

More importantly, it would buy the Red Sox time to line up the best possible deal for...