Pedro, Glavine, El Duque, and a Player to be Named Later

As the Mets fell behind 4-0 last night I was pacing our apartment consoling our six-week-old daughter. Her cries shredded my ear drums and pierced my heart. The Mets weren't helping, falling behind the Marlins 4-0, so I turned off the game. I assumed that Oliver Perez was on track to give up a bushel of runs, like Steve Trachsel and Dave Williams had done in the previous games. I had my doubts about the offense too, given how quiet the bats have been of late. Still, all in all, no worries about the Mets at the plate, they'll break out of any slump (as Carlos Delgado proved with his three-run homerun). What left me concerned was the pitching, specifically the bottom end of the starting rotation. With Pedro still on the sidelines and Willie Randolph using a 6-man rotation, this is basically open auditions for the playoffs. Pedro, Glavine, and El Duque are locks. That leaves four guys trying out for one spot. The math is easy, but the results are lackluster. I understand that postition players might press "cruise control" at this point in the season; clinching the division is imminent. What I don't get is the half-assed results posted by the four starters--John Maine, Steve Trachsel, Dave Williams, and Oliver Perez--vying for that one spot in the playoff rotation. Each them has radiated a sense of "sleeping off a bender in spring training." Knowing Willie, Trachsel already has the spot. Still, it'd be nice to see one of those other hurlers come down the home stretch strong. Personally, I'd vote for Maine. With better defensive support last Friday, he posted a solid outing (even though he allowed nine baserunners through five innings).