The smart ballclub let one pitcher throw four innings to finish the 13-5 game today. The other wasted four of its five best relievers. Poor Victor Vodnik, who has already missed six weeks with shoulder inflammation this season, made 36 pitches over two innings after having already pitched Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Blackburn might be good for a couple of more saves like this over the course of the year. There’s the chance he’ll be needed in the rotation at some point, but with Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea on the way back, the Mets would prefer that not be the case.

Blackburn was great in five innings against the Dodgers on Monday night, but it appears that didn’t buy him a longer stay in the rotation. The Mets had needed an extra starter with them playing 10 consecutive days, but they will not keep a six-man rotation long-term. Blackburn will be the long reliever and the sixth starter, just in case a spot in the rotation opens up.

It’s an extremely challenging matchup right out of the gate, which makes it nearly impossible to recommend Blackburn as a viable streaming option at the moment, especially since his next outing is slated for Sunday against the Rockies at Coors Field. The 31-year-old righty figures to get an extended look in New York’s rotation over the next few weeks. He doesn’t offer much strikeout upside, which limits his fantasy appeal to extremely deep mixed leagues and NL-only formats.