6 man rotation

[nymr83]

assume the following are facts:

1) Pedro must be in the rotation due to performance & contract size.
2) Benson must be in the rotation due to performance & contract size.
3) Zambrano must be in the rotation due to performance & kazmir.
4) Glavine must be in the rotation due to contract size.
5) Seo has earned a rotation spot, taking him out would be detrimental to the Mets ability to win ball games.
6) Traschel is ready and better than at least 1 guy in the rotation now.

now if 4 wasn't true we'd have a simple solution, but given the way finances and lineups are intertwined it is.
The argument against a 6-man rotation is essentially that your good pitchers pitch less often... but if our 2-6 are essentially equal, and if pedro wants to only pitch every 6th day anyway, what is the downside to going 6-man? off days will give certain guys even more rest than usual, which can be rectified by skipping each of the guys not named pedro once the rest of the way (it works, i looked.)
so is anyone against the 6-man idea? comments/reasons?

[Guest Edgy DC]

I threw Trachs in the bullpen for now.

Coming back from surgery and jumping into a stretch-run rotation is a tough row to hoe. Since there's no immediate need for him, why ask it of him?

Let him replace Graves or, if they're unwilling to remove Graves, Santiago.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Modified 6-man rotation for me. Via Gary, Petey's on track for his most innings in a couple years and he looks like he could use a couple of days off. We have a stretch of 13 straight games coming up--why not go with a six-man there? Work Petey next Sunday, then the following Saturday, then go from there.

Petey, Benson, Glavine, Zambrano, Trachsel, Seo is how the rotation is currently on track--that would push Seo's scheduled start back one day.

After August 29th (our next off-day), we start Pedro every sixth day, without fail, and work the rotation around him, skipping one of the other starters as needed. We only have two days off in September, though, so I think we'd only skip two guys throughout that month--preferably Zambrano or Glavine, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if we used Seo in the pen for those two starts.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

I agree with Edgy - start Trax in the pen while he gets back up to speed.

[seawolf17]

I guess I'd vote that too. It's not like we're bringing back Bob Feller here; while everyone else seems to be pitching well, ride them. Maybe we can dump Graves on the MFYs.

[Theoldmole]

I went for the 6. It's the time of year when pitchers are getting tired.

[smg58]

It would be a crime against humanity to demote Seo at this point. I think Zambrano would make the most sense as a reliever, but six starters has some viability. It would give everybody two starts (over the 13-game stretch) to establish their place in the pecking order. And anything that hurts Glavine's chances of reaching 200 IP helps the team in the long run.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

]And anything that hurts Glavine's chances of reaching 200 IP helps the team in the long run.

Good point.

[Elster88]

]ie click this if you are brain dead or a Yankee fan

LOL

[Elster88]

Rotblatt wrote: Modified 6-man rotation for me. Via Gary, Petey's on track for his most innings in a couple years and he looks like he could use a couple of days off. We have a stretch of 13 straight games coming up--why not go with a six-man there? Work Petey next Sunday, then the following Saturday, then go from there.

I really like this. Save Pedro's arm for next year.

[Valadius]

Screw the whole "We gotta have Zambrano in the rotation because of Kazmir" thing. Nobody has to prove anything to anybody. That's like throwing Kaz Matsui out there every day to "prove" that he deserves his contract. Or what we did with Mo Vaughn. Of course, Victor's been all right, but still, it's the same principle, and it ultimately hurts a team.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I'm not familiar with the whole "We gotta have Zambrano in the rotation because of Kazmir" thing. Whose thing is that?

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Zambrano has been better than expected this season.

[Elster88]

Valadius wrote: Screw the whole "We gotta have Zambrano in the rotation because of Kazmir" thing. Nobody has to prove anything to anybody. That's like throwing Kaz Matsui out there every day to "prove" that he deserves his contract. Or what we did with Mo Vaughn. Of course, Victor's been all right, but still, it's the same principle, and it ultimately hurts a team.

'

We gotta have Zambrano in the rotation because he's been at least the third best pitcher on the team this year.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I suppose I'd want to know how the starters would feel about it. My guess is that most of them prolly won't want their routines messed around with too much. At any rate, Traxxxx represents a nice upgrade over Santiago or Graves.

Bobby Vee's 6-man earned a lot of criticism when he tried it but as I recall, it didn;t hurt (or help much).

I don't know.

Ask someone else.

[seawolf17]

We're not asking someone else, JD. We're asking you. And you had better make a decision, because Trax is ready to pitch. Good thing you have an off day today.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I don't have the information necessary to make this decision.

But I'd like to see what Trachsel's got so I'd give him a start when the opportunity presents itself. Pedro often likes the extra day off so I'm sure he won't mind, and after 1 turn through 6; I'd re-evaluate and work the phones.

[seawolf17]

August 14, 2005 -- Kazuhisa Ishii (0-1) took the loss for Norfolk, although he pitched exceptionally well. The only blemish on Ishii's line was a home run by Ray Sadler on the third pitch of the game. Ishii went 6.0 innings, scattering seven hits and walking two. He also struck out nine.

Bring him back! Seven-man rotation!

[Guest Rotblatt]

="Elster88"]We gotta have Zambrano in the rotation because he's been at least the third best pitcher on the team this year.

Yes, well, being better than Ishii & Glavine isn't exactly a ringing endorsement. Seo & Heilman have been better than Zambrano, and I fully expect Trachs to be better than him as well.

Now that Ishii's mercifully out of the equation, Zambrano's maybe our fourth-best pitcher, and that's debateable. Going by ERA, Glavine's outpitched Zambrano by a mile over the last two months.

July & August
Zambrano: 4.68 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 4.5 K/9, 2.88 BB/9, 1.56 K/BB, 0.9 HR/9
Glavine: 3.48 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 3.13 K/9, 1.91 BB/9, 1.63 K/BB, 0.52 HR/9

Going by their other peripherals, Glavine's been more successful because he's done a better job limiting home runs & walks, but both of them have some serious problems--most notably their K rates.

That being said, they're both fine #4 men, and might very well be able to put up league average pitching for us over the rest of the season.

[nymr83]

I didn't expect such strong anti-Traschel feeling. I want him in there somehow for the stretch run....who voted Benson? hmm...

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Who said that putting Trax in the pen as he's coming off of the DL is anti-Trax feeling?

[Theoldmole]

Another option would be work out a waiver trade.

[Guest Edgy DC]

]Yes, well, being better than Ishii & Glavine isn't exactly a ringing endorsement.

He's been even better than that.

[Frayed Knot]

Trax to make one more rehab start on Thursday, thus delaying any decisions on this topic for at least another week.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

] "It's just a matter of, right now, our rotation's pretty set," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "Jae Seo's been throwing the ball well and we're not going to go to a six-man rotation. The math is easy."

[Vic Sage]

WWSB ruled out a 6-man rotation (with no explanation) and he and Trax agree he wouldn't be useful working out of the pen ("it takes me 30 minutes to warm up", he said). Since they can't leave him down there indefinitely, somebody's got to go.

i think they're waiting for Seo to have a mediocre-or-less start, so they can send him down without guilt.

[metirish]

Trax will have his next rehab start Thursday which is the absolute last day he can stay in AAA, so Ted said during the game last night.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Why not send down Zambrano or move HIM to the pen? He's had the worst August so far, and he'd probably be better than Graves. I'd send Santiago back down without any hesitation too.

And since I haven't said it in a while: why isn't Bell back up yet? In his 22.2 IP at Norfolk, he's got a 1.39 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, has K'ed 28, walked only 3, and given up only 4 R and only 1 HR.

That's just sick. He's been good enough to earn the right to work on his changeup in the bigs.

And Jesus, he was pretty good for us too: 4.35 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 8.24 K/9, 2.52 BB/9 & 0.68 HR/9.

[Elster88]

If Glavine really did clear waivers, lets trade the guy for a middling prospect. Helps out next year's payroll.

[Guest MrMet420]

Why not use the 6-Man Rotation...... but using Seo and Zambrano in spot starts on the given5th day, to which line-up they have the edge over. Gives more flexibility to assigning starts, gives the rotation an extra day off.