Waiting is the hardest part for Craig Stammen

Manager Jim Riggleman swapped Scott Olsen and Craig Stammen in the rotation in order to ensure teams would not see Olsen and John Lannan, both left-handed pitchers, in consecutive games. Thursday's off day meant Olsen and Stammen, who last pitched Sunday and Saturday, respectively, would have enough rest. For Stammen, though, six days of rest may be too many.

"I don't like it, but we'll see how it goes," Stammen said. "Even five days' rest is a little different. Once you get out of your five-day routine, you kind of feel a little bit better, a little bit stronger. It's just weird."

Stammen learned he would pitch using a different schedule Monday, two days after his last start. He threw a bullpen session that day to "get the soreness out," and then threw another one on Wednesday, a typical throwing session three days before a start.

"We'll see how it works out," Stammen said. "It's like back to college. You pitch once a week and you've got all this time in between. We'll see. I was good in college."

Stammen pitched well in his last two starts, allowing five earned runs in 15 innings while walking one and striking out eight. He feels like the extra rest could disrupt his momentum.

"When I threw my bullpen on Wednesday, I was like, 'Man, I could pitch today,' and that was only on three days' rest," Stammen said. "My arm is feeling good. When you're feeling good, and I feel I probably threw better my last two times out, you kind of want to get back out there as quick as you can. It kind of stinks having to wait this long, especially when we're winning. I want to get one, too.

"You never know what's going to happen. Some days you feel great when you're out there, some days you don't. However I feel, I have to take that stuff and try to win the ballgame. That's the only mentality I can have."