Pinero's back, Mulder's close, and Clement and Carp are on the horizon.  FIll-ins have been pitching better than advertised or expected.

My question is this:  What if one of the returnees falters, like Pinero did Sunday?  I'm not trying to say throw Pinero out of the rotation after one start, not at all.  But what if they struggle, repeatedly?  Kind of like CC Sabathia or Barry Zito.  Proven pitchers that aren't getting it done right now.  Seemingly healthy, just getting killed every time they take the mound. 

They've paid substantial money to Clement, Mulder, and Pinero, so how much more leeway do you give those guys, based on their track records, than you would a young guy that might struggle out of the gate, like we kind of expected from Wellemeyer and Thompson?

How many starts do you give them before you go back to the guys that started out so strong like Wellemeyer and/or Thompson?  Three starts?  Five?

I know a lot of things play into that--individual health, pitch velocity, location, mechanics, etc--just wondering what the patience level should be, as it's kind of unprecedented to have 80% of your pitching rotation due back from injury over the course of the season, all at varying points in the schedule, and with the team now expected to be in the thick of contention.  If you're too patient, you might pitch yourself out of contention.  Not patient enough and you don't let a guy work all the rust off.

Seems like a tricky spot for LaDunc to be in.