CINCINNATI — The Mets have a new rotation plan, one that affects every starter but R.A. Dickey.
Manager Terry Collins said Wednesday the team will employ a six-man rotation, with Jeremy Hefner set to join the starters on Sunday. The plan primarily helps Johan Santana, Chris Young and Matt Harvey in affording them extra rest between starts. But Collins said Dickey, who fell to 15-4 after allowing five runs in six innings in the Mets’ 6-1 loss to the Reds last night, will continue to pitch every five days because the team believes Dickey gets too strong with extra rest and he loses the feel for his knuckler.
That said, this season that’s only partially been borne out in Dickey’s performances — he has a 2.36 ERA on four days’ rest but also a 2.69 ERA on five days’ rest (he does, however, have a 4.00 ERA on six-plus days’ rest).
“Just want to keep him on the same pattern,” Collins said.
Collins said the rotation change is scheduled for the remainder of the season but will be done for sure at least for the next two weeks.
Santana and Young are both coming off shoulder surgery, so extra rest could be beneficial. Harvey is healthy, but added rest could give the rookie more between-start work. Harvey also could lengthen the time he stays in the rotation this year since he thinks he has an innings cap of 165-170. He has logged 132 ¹/₃ innings so far and pitched 135 ²/₃ last season.
“I really don’t have any say in any of it,” Harvey said of the six-man plan. “Whenever they tell me to throw, I’ll throw and give it everything I have.”
Said Collins, “We spoke to everybody about it.”
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Collins was uncertain if new catcher Kelly Shoppach would make his first Mets start Thursday night but said the lefty-mashing backstop will be behind the plate Friday against Washington southpaw Ross Detwiler and Sunday versus lefty Gio Gonzalez.
Shoppach, acquired in a trade with the Red Sox on Tuesday, joined the Mets yesterday and now must learn an entire pitching staff. He said the only Met he has caught was Frank Francisco back in A-ball.
Collins said the Mets likely will have Josh Thole keep catching Dickey, though Shoppach did say he caught knuckleballer Tim Wakefield in 2005 spring training. As for the Red Sox chaos, Shoppach only would say, “There is a disconnect in communication between the players through the upper management.”
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Collins on Melky Cabrera ’s positive drug test: “I’m surprised. Especially with the way testing is today. I feel bad for [Giants manager Bruce Bochy ]. They’re having a great year, and he’s obviously having a super, super year.”