FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) – Daisuke Matsuzaka makes his next-to-last start in the Florida exhibition season on Wednesday when he pitches for Boston against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton.

It will be the fourth spring training start for the Red Sox star rookie from Japan. He’s scheduled to pitch on the road again next Monday against the Cincinnati Reds and probably will work on March 31 in the final preseason game in Philadelphia.

His first regular-season start is slated for April 5 in the finale of a three-game series at Kansas City.

Matsuzaka’s last start was postponed in the top of the third inning when a torrential downpour hit Dodgertown in Vero Beach last Friday. He allowed one run when three of the first four Los Angeles batters reached base then retired the remaining five batters he faced.

He threw 34 pitches, 24 for strikes, then threw 77 more in five simulated innings in the batting cage.

In his two official appearances, Matsuzaka pitched seven innings, allowing two homers, three earned runs, eight hits and one walk.

Boston’s other rookie from Japan, lefty Hideki Okajima, also is scheduled to pitch Wednesday.

AP-ES-03-20-07 2119EDT