How Are The Houston Astros Affected by the Extra Day of Rest?

After Game 3 of the World Series was put off, everyone was happy for the Philadelphia Phillies, but the Houston Astros also benefited from the extra time off. The Philadelphia Phillies are better off because the Houston Astros aren’t as good.

The Phillies can wait for their bullpen day now that Game 3 of the World Series has been put off. No matter if Noah Syndergaard or Kyle Gibson starts the game, Philadelphia benefits more from the rain delay than Houston does because their rotation is shallower.

Dusty Baker, on the other hand, is not changing his mind. Lance McCullers Jr. will start Game 3, just as planned before Mother Nature got in the way. Christian Javier and Justin Verlander will start Games 4 and 5, respectively.

But don’t let that make you think that the delay doesn’t help the Astros at all. Both Verlander and Framber Valdez will now have to wait six days before their next start. This is good for both pitchers because, both in 2022 and in the past, pitchers have done better after six days off.

How Are the Houston Astros Affected by the Extra Day of Rest
How Are the Houston Astros Affected by the Extra Day of Rest

Verlander had a 2.47 ERA and struck out 8.5 batters per nine innings when he had five days off between games in 2022. On six days of rest, he got his ERA down to an almost unbelievable 0.63 and his K/9 rate went up to 12.8.

Verlander usually throws like a Cy Young winner, but with an extra day of rest, he becomes the baseball Terminator.

Verlander’s career ERA drops from 3.55 to 2.89. Valdez also improves a lot when he has a day off. His number of strikeouts goes from 7.8 to 11.0, and his earned run average drops from 3.10 to 2.33.

Even so, the sample sizes for both players are small if you look at the whole season. In 2022, Verlander only started seven games after getting six days off, while Valdez only started four. But there are examples that show why the quality should go up.

The Phillies will also benefit from the day off, but that shouldn’t make you think that they are the only team that is getting better.

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