Mets' R.A. Dickey allows 3 homers in loss to Reds

CINCINNATI -- R.A. Dickey was all by his lonesome, reading his iPad in the visitors' dugout hours before Wednesday night's game.

Considering the news his manager revealed to the media minutes earlier, it was a fitting snapshot, because Dickey is essentially about to be on an island by himself. Effective immediately, Terry Collins plans on utilizing a six-man rotation, and Dickey is the only one who's going to head to the mound every five days.

Surely, Collins hopes his star righthander does a lot better in his next start than he did in Wednesday night's 6-1 loss to the Reds at Great American Ball Park. Dickey (15-4, 2.89) didn't have his usual command of his knuckleball and the Reds pounced on it whenever he left it out over the plate, smashing three home runs that went a combined 1,259 feet.

Scott Rolen and Todd Frazier crushed back-to-back homers in the fourth, with Frazier's blast traveling an estimated 474 feet to straightaway center. Jay Bruce went deep for the second consecutive night against the Mets, cracking a 428-foot solo shot into the rightfield stands in the sixth for a 4-1 lead.

"It was a bizarre outing, it really was,'' Dickey said. "It kind of came and went. When it was there, it was filthy, and when it didn't, it kind of tumbled up there. And in a park like this with these kind of hitters, you'd better be good."

Dickey also had to deal with plate umpire James Hoye, who asked Dickey to remove a couple of friendship bracelets made by his daughters from his right wrist before his first pitch of the second inning.

Nothing went right for the Cy Young candidate, who yielded five runs, 10 hits and two walks and struck out nine in six innings. Mike Leake (5-7) pitched a four-hitter, walking none.

"Due to certainly the health of our staff, to make sure they stay healthy throughout the remainder of the season," Collins said, "we think this is really going to give us the best chance to compete at the level we want to compete. We are going to be playing some teams that are going to be playing for something very, very special.

"So. we want to make sure that we are running the best guys out there."

Collins prefers not to mess with Dickey's time between starts, fearing the knuckleballer won't be as sharp. The extra time might also cause Dickey to throw his specialty pitch with a bit too much strength, and that's the last thing Collins wants.

"I think he can lose a little bit of the feel for it," he said. "So I just wanted to keep him on the same pattern."

To make sure that happens, Collins will back everyone up. Jeremy Hefner will be slotted into the rotation, technically taking Chris Young's start Sunday in Washington. Young will start against the Rockies at Citi Field and Dickey will pitch Tuesday.

One positive in all this: It might keep rookie Matt Harvey, who starts Wednesday's's series finale, from reaching his innings limit. Harvey said he's heard the Mets may shut him down after 165-170 innings, and he's totaled 1321/3 between the majors and minors.

Harvey agreed with what Johan Santana said in a pitchers meeting, that they all were just going to have to make the adjustment. Harvey doesn't foresee any issues with the change.

"Only two years ago, I was pitching in college once a week," Harvey said. "So for me, I don't feel like it's that much different.''

Dickey also sounded OK with it. "I haven't really been talked to about it,'' he said after the game. "I was preparing for my start. Terry and I will probably have a conversation about it tomorrow. But I don't anticipate it being a problem."