NEW YORK -- Dillon Gee will start on Sunday as the sixth member of the Mets' five-man rotation. Public perception of the team's pitching staff became a "big monster" that manager Terry Collins struggled to control. Collins, despite his waffling, "did not fall off the pumpkin truck."
Such were the oddities of a 19-minute news conference on Friday, during which Collins defended his team's frequent flipping between a five- and six-man rotation. The latest update: Recently demoted sixth starter Gee will pitch the finale against the Braves, but as a spot starter -- not a bona fide member of the rotation.