Using R.A. Dickey On Short Rest Is A Bad Idea

This will come back and bite the Mets.

According to Metsblog, Terry Collins told reporters before Wednesday's game that the Mets intend on using R.A. Dickey on short rest, although he doesn't know when that will be.

Nothing is set in stone, but it sounds like it will happen at some point before the season ends.

To me, this sounds like, "We're starting to panic and we're going to use one of the only things that has been consistently good as many times as we can before the season ends."

First of all, Dickey is no spring chicken. While his arm doesn't deal with the normal wear and tear of a traditional pitcher, he's still 37-years-old. It will eventually catch up with him.

Second, how will this effect the rest of the rotation? I can see how providing Johan Santana and Chris Young with an extra day of rest could be beneficial, seeing as how they are both coming off surgery. But what about everyone else?

I know that Jon Niese has been better when he gets an extra day of rest, but too bad. This is the big leagues. You pitch every 5 days. Deal with it.

Finally, despite having a remarkable first half, Dickey is starting to come back down to earth. He's been good lately, but not quite as dominant.

Whatever the Mets' reasoning behind this, to me, it just seems like an act of desperation.  

ICYMI: The Week In Review

After getting swept by the Yankees last weekend in the Bronx, the Mets moved on to St. Petersburg where they swept the Rays in a three-game series.

Chris Young recorded his first win with the Mets since his return. His last win as a Met? April 5, 2011.

Terry Collins and pitching coach Dan Warthen mixed things up in the bullpen earlier in the week. With the exception of Frank Francisco as closer and Tim Byrdak as the lefty specialist, all other bullpen roles have been done away with. Essentially, if you want to be the eighth inning setup man, you're going to have to earn it.  

R.A. Dickey threw a one-hitter on Wednesday night. The Mets appealed to have that one-hitter changed to a no-hitter, arguing that David Wright should have been charged with an error after attempting to field a hit by B.J. Upton. They lost the appeal.

National League All-Star manager Tony LaRussa selected Terry Collins to join his staff for this year's All-Star game.

Ike Davis is starting to heat up at the plate. He has a seven game hitting streak and his average is now up to .192.

The Mets have signed 15 of this year's draft picks. For the complete list, visit ESPN.

On the injury front...

Jayson Bay was placed on the 7-Day disabled list with a concussion after crashing into the left field wall Friday night.

Justin Turner was activated from the disabled list following Bay's injury.

Ronny Cedeno, who has been on the disabled list since May 27 with a calf strain, is expected to return some time this week. In Triple-A Buffalo Saturday, Cedeno played all nine innings at shortstop and went 0-3.

The Mets are hopeful that Ruben Tejada will begin a rehab assignment on Monday. According to Terry Collins, Tejada ran in a straight line on Friday.