"Chris Young can take the heat associated with pitching for the Mets -- it's the cold that presents a larger problem.

The veteran right-hander is battling biceps tendinitis, leading to the Mets' decision yesterday to adjust their rotation for the upcoming weekend series in Atlanta. Young was scheduled to start tomorrow, but will now pitch on Sunday. Manager Terry Collins is planning to give reliever D.J. Carrasco the start tomorrow.

Young, who battled shoulder problems and missed most of the last two seasons with the Padres, blamed the recent chilly Northeast temperatures for the soreness. Young, who is 1-0 with a 1.46 ERA in two outings, said his surgically repaired arm first felt something during his season debut at Philadelphia nine days ago.

"It's one of those things where you can let [the tendinitis] linger and deal with it or give it a couple of extra days," Young said before the Mets' 5-4 loss to the Rockies last night at Citi Field. "I think a couple of extra days will take care of it at this point."

With a doubleheader scheduled for today against the Rockies because of Tuesday's rainout, the Mets would have needed another starting pitcher for Sunday at Atlanta. Collins said he saw that as an opportunity to give Young the extra days of rest.

"All along he said, 'I can pitch Friday if you want,' " Collins said. "I said, 'It's April [13]. I think we'll make sure you're there on June [13].' I'm trying to look at the big picture here. I know how important these games are -- games in April are just as important as games in September -- but I look at the big picture of 30 starts a year.""