PITTSBURGH -- Tuesday's doubleheader against the Pirates means the Mets will play six games in five days, forcing them to use a spot starter this weekend in Milwaukee. Right-hander Logan Verrett, who has undertaken that job multiple times already this season, will do so again either Friday or Saturday.
Verrett, 25, is 3-3 with a 3.22 ERA this season. Those numbers include a 1-1 mark with a 4.30 ERA in three spot starts, ranging from excellent (12 consecutive scoreless innings against the Marlins and Phillies in April) to poor (seven runs allowed over 2 2/3 innings in Denver last month). The Mets briefly considered using Verrett on Friday, which would have given Matt Harvey an extra day between starts. But since the team needed Verrett for two innings of relief in their 3-1 Game 1 loss to the Pirates, he will instead pitch Saturday.
Another byproduct of the doubleheader was that the Mets imported infielder Eric Campbell from Triple-A Las Vegas to Pittsburgh. Because the twin bill was scheduled with less than 48 hours' notice, Major League Baseball's Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates that Campbell can only be active for Game 2.