How much rest is best for Lidle?

Sunday, June 15 2003 @ 10:25 AM EDT

Contributed by: robertdudek

It may be assumed that pitching every 5 days (on 4 days' rest) is normal for the modern day starting pitcher. That's probably true of the top pitcher on staff, but less so for the bottom of the rotation. Off days and rainouts mean that the bottom end of the rotation is often pushed back - and so many pitchers start a significant number of games on 5 days' rest.

Cory Lidle was the #4 or #5 starting pitcher in Oakland in 2001 and 2002. Traded to Toronto in the off-season, he was promoted to #2 starter.

This season he has pitched exceptionally poorly on 5 days' rest. Immediately, the notion that pitchers are creatures of habit springs to mind. Perhaps Lidle does poorly because he gets out of his rhythm when not pitching every 5th day. Or perhaps he is simply the type of pitcher that is adversely affected by too much rest. A study of the performance of all starting pitchers would be quite instructive, but that will have to wait for another day.

Cory Lidle on 5 days' rest in 2003:

May 8 at Tex .....  6.0 IP 4 Runs (4 ER) 0 HR
May 14 TB ........  7.3 IP 5 Runs (5 ER) 1 HR
June 4 at Stl ..... 5.0 IP 8 Runs (8 ER) 0 HR
June 10 Pit ....... 6.0 IP 7 Runs (6 ER) 3 HR

Here is how Cory has pitched on various days' rest over the last 2 and a half years.

5 days rest starts  IP  R  ER  HR   W   K   ERA
2001 .......... 9  61.3  28 28  7  14  48   4.11
2002 .......... 7  44.0  22 20  3   5  26   4.09
2003 .......... 4  24.3  24 23  5   5  10   8.51
total ........ 20 129.7  74 71 15  24  84   4.93

4 days rest starts  IP   R  ER  HR   W   K  ERA
2001 ......... 14  91.0  40  33  9  18  50  3.26
2002 ......... 20 127.7  50  45 11  27  75  3.17
2003 .........  9  62.0  27  24  1  13  44  3.48
total ........ 43 280.7 117 102 21  58 169  3.27

others      starts  IP   R  ER  HR   W   K  ERA
2001 .........  6  35.7  16  14  7  15  20  3.53
2002 .......... 3  20.3  18  18  3   7  10  7.97
2003 .......... 1   6.0   5  5   3   0   7  7.50
total ........ 10  62.0  39  37 13  22  37  5.37

2001-2003  starts    IP    R  ER  HR  W   K   ERA   K/9  W/9  HR/9
5 days.......  20  129.7  74  71  15  24   84  4.93  5.8  1.7  1.0
4 days.......  43  280.7 117 102  21  58  169  3.27  5.4  1.9  0.7
other........  10   62.0  39  37  13  22   37  5.37  5.4  3.2  1.9

Cory has had less success on 5 days' rest than when pitching on 4 days rest, but strikeout, walk and homerun rates are nearly the same. I don't think the pattern in evidence this year - 4 poor starts on longer rest - should be expected to continue.

Lidle is back on normal rest (pushing Roy Halladay back a day) for today's rubber match versus the Cubs.

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