NEW YORK -- David Stearns was about to disappear into the New York Mets' clubhouse Monday afternoon when he stopped to answer questions about the one prominent potential flaw remaining on his roster after the trade deadline: the starting rotation.
The glaring inability of Mets starters to pitch deep into games over the past two months -- David Peterson is the only one to log at least six innings in an outing over the past month -- prompted fans to plead for the Mets' president of baseball operations to fortify the rotation. After he elected not to acquire a starting pitcher at the trade deadline, the talk has turned to potentially improving from within by promoting Brandon Sproat or Nolan McLean, two standout pitching prospects excelling in Triple-A.