Mike Pelfrey's Rotation Spot is Fragile

Going into Tuesday night's game with the Marlins, Mike Pelfrey was under an optical microscope. With each of Pelfrey's previous three starts getting progressively worse, Omar Minaya indicated that his "blue chip prospect" status wouldn't keep Pelfrey from being sent back down to the minors:

"You got to perform up here at some point or time," Minaya said bluntly. "You got to perform or else we'll go down for other options in the minor leagues."

With Orlando Hernandez on the shelf with bursitis, it seemed that Pelfrey's spot would have been a little safer. But the Mets have options in New Orleans with Jorge Sosa, Phil Humber, and Jason Vargas having good seasons in AAA. (Sosa had pitched on Sunday, but why the Mets brought up Chan Ho Park on Monday instead of Humber or Vargas is beyond me.)

Pelfrey pitched better on Tuesday against Florida so his job, which seemingly is up for debate from start to start, is safe for another start. But the Mets still lost the game, and his tenuous hold on that fifth spot may point the Mets elsewhere if he doesn't continue to improve.

Jorge Sosa appears to be the candidate du jour, especially given that the 29-year-old right-hander has major-league experience, a live arm and a sparkling 4-0 record and 1.13 ERA at the team's Triple-A affiliate in New Orleans. Another possibility includes left-hander Jason Vargas (2-2, 4.55). Right now, it doesn't look like the Mets plan to call up rookie right-hander Philip Humber (2-2, 4.15), who was the team's No. 1 pick in 2004. Minaya also said the Mets may be looking to add another arm via a trade, saying that the team is "always looking."

Said (Tom) Glavine: "It adds a little bit of craziness to the mix. You'd love nothing better than to come in here everyday and know whose pitching. ...That's not the case. If the guy you bring in here has a bad game, or a bad couple of games, yeah, there's a little bit of 'Who's pitching tonight?'"

Glavine should know ... he pitched on a team in 2006 that endured 13 starting pitchers, a list which included Jose Lima and Geremi Gonzalez. Now that was craziness.