The Mets are moving to a six-man rotation for the time being, manager Carlos Mendoza tells reporters (including ). Thatll keep in the rotation after tonights debut. New York will operate with a seven-man bullpen for the next two games but will get an eighth reliever back when active rosters expand on Monday. Tong worked five innings against the Marlins tonight. He gave up four runs, only one of which was earned after the Mets made a pair of errors in the fifth inning. Tong punched out six without i suing a walk while allowing six hits. Completing five innings was all he needed to do to pick up his first big league win. The Mets pounded Miami pitching for 19 runs in a blowout victory. The Mets now have a pair of rookies in their starting staff. , called up two weeks ago, has begun his big league career with a trio of fantastic starts. He fired eight scorele s innings against Philadelphia last time out and has allowed only two runs through his first 20 1/3 innings. has been their best starter all year, while and are surely locked into rotation spots. It wouldnt have made much Wolves Jersey sense to call Tong up just for a spot start. has a 4.38 ERA with a well below-average 15.8% strikeout rate in eight starts since the All-Star Break. He has only completed six innings once during that stretch. The Mets couldve considered moving him to the bullpen, where hell probably end up in October if they hold onto a playoff spot. Thats not the plan for now, and Holmes is lined up to start in Detroit next Wednesday. The Mets have a scheduled off day on Thursday. If they dont make any adjustments to their six-man rotation, Tongs second MLB start will come a week from now at Great American Ball Park. Thats shaping up to be a big series with the Reds representing the closest thing to a challenger in the Wild Card race. New York has pulled five games clear of Cincinnati, who have dropped four in a row at a very inopportune time. The final month presents an evaluation opportunity for New Yorks coaching staff and front office. They could go in a number of directions with a playoff rotation. Peterson is probably the favorite for a Game One start, but McLean and Tong each have a shot to convince the club that theyre worthy of a postseason start despite their inexperience. Sevilla Jersey