With the return of Dillon Gee, the New York Mets are to institute a six-man pitching rotation in their pursuit of top spot in the National League East.
And it's not going anywhere, according to ESPN's Adam Rubin.
Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen told Rubin that the rotation is being employed in an attempt to keep new or recently recovered arms rested:
Warthen said the objective is to have the starting pitchers make roughly 30 instead of the standard 33 starts during the regular season. The goal: to shave season innings totals without having to shut down the pitchers at the end of the season.
If the Mets continue their somewhat surprising start, this will prove invaluable in the later months. Ace Matt Harvey, who missed the entire 2014 season due to Tommy John Surgery, has a soft innings cap this season. With Harvey already having thrown 58.2 innings this year and reigning National League rookie of the year Jacob deGrom having tossed 55.2, tired arms will grow even more fatigued with a five-man system. This is compounded by the fact that, according to Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News, Harvey has recently suffered from "dead arm."
Mets skipper Terry Collins recently made it very clear to his arms what would have happened if this had kept up. CBS New York reported that Collins threatened, among other things, that "...none of you are pitching in September."
So the Mets will roll with half-a-dozen pitchers, something that has not been seen on a regular basis much in the major leagues. And while health is of main importance, variety can prove lethal to the opposition.
And the Mets have variety.
Bartolo Colon just celebrated his 42nd birthday. A man who was considered washed up three years ago is currently tied with Pittsburgh's Gerrit Cole and Seattle's Felix Hernandez for the most wins in the majors (8).
Harvey, despite having little run support, has 71 strikeouts, eighth-best in the National League and the same number as teammate deGrom. Coming off a performance in which he had a perfect game going into the sixth inning against the Padres on Monday night, deGrom leads the team with a 2.41 ERA, which also ranks eighth in the league.
Rookie Noah Syndergaard has added another dimension of young pitching dominance at Citi Field. He had a 1.82 ERA in the first four starts of his major league career.
Jon Niese and the returning Gee, the last two of the rotation, seem to be present just to eat innings. With Zach Wheeler out for the season and youngsters Steven Matz and Rafael waiting in the wings, their time in New York is running down.
However, if the top four starters in this experiment continue to shine while the likes of Gee and Niese begin to jeopardize the Mets' postseason chances, they could be on the way out.
With a surplus of pitching talent, look for the Mets to shop some of their arms for a bat. Averaging just 3.83 runs per game this season, the frustration and pressure of pitching with little support could subside with the six-man rotation. Fewer innings could help the mentality of some of the younger, more emotional pitchers on the staff.
With the Washington Nationals considered the class of the division, an extended rotation that will provide fresher arms and minds down the stretch might just help the Mets nab a spot. Especially if they continue taking advantage of the weaker parts of their schedule:
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