bédard spent most of the 2003 season on the disabled list rehabbing his elbow and returned to make only six short starts in the minors late in the season. he received an invitation to big-league spring training the next year and made the most of his opportunity, beating out other pitchers for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. in 2004, he posted a 4.59 era in 137⅓ innings of work. his strikeout numbers were 7.93 k/9, and he had 71 walks allowed. bédard was criticized for having a high pitch count (19.5 pitches/inning), forcing him to frequently make early exits from ballgames, and he was criticized for lacking a third type of pitch.