3 keys to the Mets' weathering their brutal upcoming schedule

3. Can their starting rotation eat innings to save their bullpen?

The Mets expected starting rotation sans Scherzer, deGrom, and Tylor Megill will be Chris Bassitt, Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker, David Peterson, and Trevor Williams. If anyone else gets hurt, Thomas Szapucki would probably get a chance in the big league rotation.

This situation yields key questions. How long can these guys pitch into games? Can they give you six innings to save the bullpen? If not, can they pitch well enough to give their team a chance to win? Will any of these pitchers put too much pressure on themselves to be better?

This type of situation was precisely why Billy Eppler traded for Chris Bassitt, to be that reliable anchor in case a situation like this, where deGrom and Scherzer both have been hampered by injuries, happens.

Nonetheless, their starters will, and should, be stretched out longer than they have previously this season during their next couple of turns. Will they be up for the challenges?

Buck Showalter will certainly embrace bullpen games where they could be used. The Mets have five days off in the last 22 days of June, so the Mets can manipulate the schedule to relieve the rotation, whether it is bringing up pitchers to pitch and eat innings as long relievers in that span.

But facing all of the best offenses in the National League over the next month in succession will be the gauntlet that can validate the identity of this team, and we will know the answers to what this team is really made of come then.