How the Rotation Sets Up

[Guest martin]

i definitely wanted as well as expected el duque to end up in the pen. now i am really interested in the situation, and happy because most options are good.

i think we are sure maine stays in the rotation arent we? the only question i think is whether the duke heads to the pen or pelfrey goes down.

this leaves the question going forward of who would start game 3 in the playoffs. and although i dont dislike trax, i hope somebody else makes a strong enough statement in the second half that they grab that 3rd spot by the throat. (this means you john maine)

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I was quite down on Duque a while ago too.

Seems to me he turns it on and off a little too much. Without looking it up, I'd guess a greater percentage of his outings fall into the "very bad" or "quite good" buckets as compared with his teammates.

[Gwreck]

Pelfrey's back to the minors, Maine will start Sunday, and the Mets are back to what projects as a 5-man rotation for the time being.

[Elster88]

I've decided that I really don't like how Pelfrey sticks out his tongue.

[Frayed Knot]

So now that we're back to 5, let's assume today in day #1 since Petey's going, which gives us;
Martinez - Hernandez - Glavine - Maine - Trachsel


Mnemonic that!

[Guest Edgy DC]

Met Haters Got Major Trouble

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

You can't mnemomic with two M's.

Gotta be Pedro, Hernandez, Glavine, maine, Trax

or

Pound Heinekens, Get Majorly Trashed

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

They should juggle it so that it's Steve, Tom, Orlando, Maine, and Pedro.

STOMP!

[seawolf17]

Or they should activate Zambrano just so we can bring back the nickname Vagina Boy.

[MFS62]

Speaking of rotations, as the result of recent moves the rotation at Norfolk will include Pelfrey, Bannister and Perez.
The rest of the rotation possibles include lefty prospect Evan McClain, Iriki and Lima.
Well, three (maybe four) out of six ain't bad.

Later

[Gwreck]

Glavine was originally scheduled to pitch tonight (Tuesday, 8/22) but the off day on Monday allowed them to bump everybody up a day.

The rotation this week:

Tue v. STL: Maine
Wed v. STL: Trachsel
Thu v. STL: Williams
Fri v. PHI: El Duque
Sat v. PHI: TBA

Paging Mr. Bannister, please pick up the white courtesy phone.

Either that or Darren Oliver may finally get a 2006 start.

[Gwreck]

Fri v. PHI - Brian Bannister
Sat v. PHI - Oliver Perez, probably
Sun v. PHI - John Maine

El Duque is "not injured" but will skip a start.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Maybe he just wants a blow.

[Frayed Knot]

I think the Mets admit injuries and the seriousness of them the way the Politburo used to admit illnesses to General Secretaries

[Gwreck]

vs. Philadelphia
Sunday (tomorrow): John Maine vs. new Phillie Jamie Moyer

at Colorado
Tue: Steve Trachsel vs. Byung-Hyung Kim
Wed: Dave Williams vs. Josh Fogg
Thu: El Duque/Oliver Perez vs. Jeff Francis

at Houston
Fri:Tom Glavine vs. Andy Pettite
Sat: Oliver Perez/El Duque vs. Jason Hirsh
Sun: John Maine vs. Roy Oswalt

[Theoldmole]

Any relation to Patchy?

[Gwreck]

Change for the Houston series -- we miss Pettitte too.

at Houston
Fri:Tom Glavine vs. Wandy Rodriguez
Sat: Oliver Perez/El Duque vs. Jason Hirsh
Sun: John Maine vs. Roy Oswalt

[Willets Point]

I don't miss Rat Face at all.

[Gwreck]

at Houston
Sat: John Maine vs. Jason Hirsh
Sun: El Duque vs. Roy Oswalt

vs. Atlanta
Mon: Steve Trachsel vs. Chuck James
Tue: Dave Williams vs. John Smoltz
Wed: Tom Glavine vs. Lance Cormier (?)

vs. Los Angeles
Thu: John Maine vs. Brad Penny
Fri: Brian Bannister/Mike Pelfrey/Oliver Perez vs. Chad Billingsley
Sat: El Duque vs. Greg Maddux
Sun: Dave Williams vs. Mark Hendrickson

Note that the LA series is a tenative projection. Skipping a Trachsel start might be necessary to help set the rotation for playoff purposes.

Look for Pedro to return during the series in Pittsburgh, September 15-17.

[Gwreck]

A change with Glavine being pushed back a day:

vs. Atlanta
Tue: Dave Williams vs. John Smoltz
Wed: Oliver Perez vs. Oscar Villareal

vs. Los Angeles
Thu: Tom Glavine vs. Brad Penny
Fri: John Maine vs. Aaron Sele
Sat: El Duque vs. Greg Maddux
Sun: Steve Trachsel vs. Mark Hendrickson

[Gwreck]

vs. Los Angeles
Fri: John Maine vs. Hong-Chi Kuo
Sat: El Duque vs. Greg Maddux
Sun: Steve Trachsel vs. Mark Hendrickson

at Florida
Mon: Dave Williams / Oliver Perez vs. Anibal Sanchez (yes, his first start since the no-no).
Tue: Tom Glavine vs. Josh Johnson
Wed: John Maine vs. Scott Olson

[Gwreck]

Expect a few changes to that 6-man rotation as we come down the home stretch. Glavine will (in all liklihood) be put back on his regular 5th day, and Maine/Perez skipped in favor of Trachsel getting another start.

vs. Washington
Fri: El Duque vs. Pedro Astacio
Sat: John Maine vs. Michael O'Connor
Sun: Steve Trachsel vs. Tony Armas Jr.
Mon: Tom Glavine vs. Beltran Perez

at Atlanta
Tue: Oliver Perez vs. John Smoltz
Wed: Pedro Martinez vs. Tim Hudson
Thu: Orlando Hernandez vs. Kyle Davies

at Washington
Fri: Steve Trachsel vs. Tony Armas Jr.
Sat: Tom Glavine vs. Beltran Perez
Sun: John Maine vs. Ramon Ortiz

[metirish]

Klapisch has a thought.....

] If the manager sticks to his plan to make Pedro his Game 1 starter in the Division Series, that leaves just one more regular-season appearance to address all the problems. Martinez talks about slowly building up his stamina next Wednesday against the Braves: "I still have time," he said. But there is an alternative, albeit a politically expensive one: give Pedro two more starts (next Tuesday against the Braves and the regular-season finale against the Nationals) and push him back to the Game 3 start in NLDS. Would Randolph make such a dramatic move? Not without Pedro's input, obviously. The Mets' 2006 self-image is founded upon Martinez as their leader, especially in the playoffs. But no one could ignore the radar gun readings in the fifth inning, when Pedro's fastball was down to 82 mph.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I was thinking similar thoughts.

It wouldn't be bad at all to have Glavine and Hernandez in Games 1 and 2.

[Frayed Knot]

This is why I wasn't real big on the idea of 'covering Pedro in bubble-wrap and sitting him until mid-September'.
There are limits obviously but pitchers need to pitch and it's tough to just turn it on in a 2 week stint.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I thought they'd try to get him four starts. It would have been 33% better than getting him three.

[metirish]

Pedro may not start game 1.

] �No, he might need more time to be pushed back,� Randolph said. �I mean, I said to you guys initially he might go Game 1. You always ask me that, and I always say, �O.K.� But that�s always subject to change. So, what I�m saying to you is that depending on how he comes out of his start, who knows? He might need to be pushed back or whatever. And that�s just all hypothetical stuff.�

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I don't really have a strong preference for who starts Game 1. I'd be equally okay with Pedro, Hernandez, or Glavine.

[metirish]

Gary is saying that regardless how Pedro pitches tomorrow night if he says he feels fine after the game then he'll pitch game one....so says Willie....I dunno but who's calling the shots here?

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Why aren't we all indignant about the blatant lie that Willie told about how Pedro would be his starter no matter what?

I can't remember the explanation, but it has something to do with pajamas.