Recent history not in Josh Beckett’s favor today.

If recent history is any indication, Josh Beckett could be in trouble today when he makes his Dodgers debut in Colorado.

Five times this season, Beckett has pitched on six or more days rest. In those starts, he is 1-2 with a 10.13 earned-run average. He’ll hope to buck that trend on seven days’ rest today. Beckett was scheduled to face the Kansas City Royals on Saturday before he was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Dodgers.

The veteran right-hander pitched better on extra rest before this season (20-13 with a 3.19 ERA, well below his career ERA of 3.93), and Beckett offered some nuance to the numbers on Sunday morning.

“In the American League a bad start isn’t five innings pitched, five runs,” he said. “It’s two innings pitched, nine runs.”

Beckett has allowed at least seven runs in a game three times this season. Two of those starts were on six or more days rest (the other was his first start of the season).

“I like pitching on extra days’ rest if I need it,” Beckett said. “If things are clicking I’d rather pitch on my day.”

Is he clicking now?

“No,” Beckett said, shaking his head as if it was the understatement of the century.

So far, 2012 has been the worst of Beckett’s 12 major-league seasons. On Saturday he said he felt “it was time to move on” from Boston, but didn’t elaborate why.

Perhaps some things, and some statistics, are better left in the past.

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.