Just Mets

On Friday, the Mets named Dillon Gee the starting pitcher in what is now a rubber-game between the Mets and Braves.

This came as a shock to both the fans and members of the media, as the Mets decided ten days ago to scrap their six-man rotation three games into the experiment.

It also came as a surprise to Gee, who thought he was bound for the bullpen permanently.

“I was fairly surprised, just because I thought we were scrapping the six-man [rotation] and I was going back to the bullpen,” Gee explained upon returning to the club on Saturday evening. “I was surprised, but I’m glad I’m getting a start. Let’s roll with it.”

For now, Terry Collins and Sandy Alderson will use what they call a six-man lite and a five-man heavy rotation, meaning they will use a spot starter when the club deems it necessary, and skip over that starting pitcher in the next turn.

That pitcher apparently is Dillon Gee, presenting yet another challenge in what has become a very weird and awkward year for the Mets veteran right-hander.

“I don’t know how hard [it will be],” Gee explained. “I haven’t done it. We’ll see.”

Gee acknowledges the turbulent season has possibly contributed to his performance in 2015, in which he has a 4.50 ERA and is seeking his first win of the season.

“It’s time to just move on from everything. I might’ve been hung up on it. … I think it affected the way I was performing,” he explained.

It’s hard to blame him. Of course, this is the big leagues and he has a job to do regardless of the role. However, it’s been talked about countless times on this site: routine and predictability are crucial to a pitcher’s success, and needless to say, Gee has had none of that for four months in 2015.

If the Mets are trying to extract value out of him, this is probably not the best way to do so, as he put it last week.