Plans for the New York Mets' pitching rotation are cybershared among a few dozen club employees, the names of the projected starters punched onto a spreadsheet. Separately, manager Buck Showalter maintains a month-deep pitching calendar that covers most of a wall in his office, giving him a quick point of reference as he sits at his desk at Citi Field.
But early-season events have reminded Showalter, general manager Billy Eppler and the others at the top of the Mets' hierarchy how fragile the state of any rotation can be and how quickly careful arrangements can fall apart through a series of injuries.