New York Mets: Season Will Rest on the Arms of Two Young Pitchers

The inevitable happened to the Mets this past week; it just happened sooner than expected.

We all knew Pedro Martinez would go down with an injury at some point during the course of the season, we just didn't think it would happen in his first outing.

Now that Martinez is out 4-6 weeks with a hamstring strain, John Maine and Oliver Perez are even more important to the Mets' chances of winning the division.

For any team to have a legitimate chance at winning the division and advancing through playoffs to the World Series, it is vital that the team of at least two if not three dominate starting pitchers.

Although nothing is ever certain in sports, there is a pretty good chance that Johan Santana will have his typical stellar season this year.

The Mets cannot expect much from Pedro Martinez at this point. Although he is only out 4-6 weeks right now, it is almost a certainty that he will succumb to another injury at some point during the rest of the season.

That leaves the pressure on Maine and Perez to step into the roll of the Mets' second and third dominate pitchers on the staff.

Maine and Perez both had somewhat breakout seasons last year, which were just overshadowed by the Mets' improbable end of the year collapse.

Perez was 15-10 with a 3.56 ERA. Maine was also 15-10 with a 3.91 ERA.

For the Mets to have a reasonable chance of winning the NL East, both Perez and Maine must put up at least the same numbers as last season, if not better.

The endurance and quality of play from the bullpen will be important and Wagner's ability to close out games will also be important.

But, right now, John Maine and Oliver Perez have quickly found themselves at the center of any chance the Mets have to win the NL East.

Maine and Perez have been considered vitally important to the Mets all along, it is just more prevalent now that there is little hope of Martinez returning to anywhere near his dominate form.