Collins does some convincing on 6-man rotation

PITTSBURGH -- Mets manager Terry Collins gathered five-sixths of his starting rotation together on Saturday to discuss specifics of the team's new six-man rotation, which should take effect next week. Dillon Gee is set to arrive in Pittsburgh late Saturday, at which point Collins will relay the plan to him as well.

It was essentially "a sell job," in Collins' words, an effort to convince his starting pitchers that the strategy is in all of their best interests.

"They're creatures of habit," Collins said. "They've got superstitions. They've got all these things that they believe in and that's why, to be honest, the one thing you really try hard not to do is disrupt that. ... But it's about managing the whole pitching staff, making sure they all stay healthy and they all stay pitching."

For at least the next few days, the Mets will stay on turn. The team on Saturday released its rotation through next week's series at Philadelphia, with Bartolo Colon, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard pitching in that order. Assistant general manager John Ricco said that Dillon Gee will throw a bullpen session Sunday after he arrives, logically putting him on turn to start Friday against the Marlins at Citi Field. That would give Matt Harvey two extra days of rest between Saturday's start in Pittsburgh and his next one a week later at Citi Field.

Additional finagling will take place throughout June, though Collins cautioned that the experiment may only be temporary.

"If it's not going to work, we're going to fix it," Collins said. "We're going to change it. We're not just going to keep running our heads into the wall. So we'll see how it works and see how guys adjust, and if it's not working, we'll come up with Plan B."