Mets Beat the Mets…Again
New York Mets — ... Well, once again, when the Mets need a big win, they have Oliver Perez come to the mound to stop the bleeding. He’ll start tomorrow’s 1:10 pm game against ...

Game #151 at San Diego
Pittsburgh Pirates — ... in 2003 and Oliver Perez in 2004. In other words, even an aging Maddux would be among the best pitchers on any Pirates staff over the past five years. I won’t mention the fact that Perez and ...

Alou, Delgado, & Mets Take Series
New York Mets — ... on the mound today, it was a little more of the same. I believe he could have stayed out there despite his 102 pitch count. He through 5 innings, struck out 9, allowed 3 earned runs and only 2 walks. He pitched very well, but the high pitch count scared Willie. Maybe he was right. We saw a pitcher who has been very tired due to the amount of innings he has pitched. Never has he thrown more than he had since coming to the Mets. Oliver Perez on the other hand already had years of experience as a starter, so it’s understandable as to why he pitched so well when the time came to bare down and perform. For John, it showed that he is going to have to show everything he’s got in his next start to convince Willie that he is the right guy to start over ...

Hands Down: Brought To You By The (Magic) Number 5
New York Mets — ... both got at least one hit in all 7 games, many of them in key spots. Alou also contributed a game-saving outfield assist in yesterday’s game. Oliver Perez deserves a great deal of praise for going out there and pitching a bullpen-saving gem (8 innings, 2 runs [1 earned], no walks, 8 strikeouts) against one of the better offenses in the league. ...

Looking Back, Looking Forward (Part 1: Manager & Coaching Staff)
New York Mets — ... and Oliver Perez thrived more often than not in their first full seasons working with him. The Mets hit better as a team after Rick Down was fired in July and Howard Johnson took over as hitting coach, while ...

Looking Back, Looking Forward (Part 2: Starting Pitching)
New York Mets — ... Oliver Perez: When he’s on, there are few that can match his dominance. When he’s not, disaster seems to lurk behind every pitch. There are certain aspects of his performance this year that demand a more in-depth look, but for now a good summary of what Oliver Perez brings to the mound is as follows: Perez struck out at least 8 batters in 9 of his 29 starts this year. He walked at least 4 batters in 8 starts. In one start, he did both of those things. ...

Oliver Perez and Unearned Runs: An Investigation
New York Mets — ... In many ways, Oliver Perez was one of the major success stories of the 2007 Mets. A lefty with a low-90s fastball and an absolutely devastating slider, Perez was able more often than not to overcome the control problems that have plagued him throughout his career (it is worth noting that even in his fantastic 2004 season with the Pirates when he had a 2.98 ERA and 239 strikeouts in 196 innings, Perez still walked 81 batters) and make opposing hitters look foolish. Perez’s 3.56 ERA was among the top 10 in the National League for starting pitchers, his .229 opponent batting average was bested only by ...

The Johan Santana Deal: My 4 Quarters
New York Mets — ... Quarter: The Infield Is A Boring Place Let’s take a look at the 5 pitchers who will most likely be the Mets’ starters when the 2008 season begins and a couple of specific aspects of their 2007 performance - their strikeouts per 9 innings and the percentage of balls in play against them that were grounders: Johan Santana - 9.66 K/9, 38.0% GB Pedro Martinez - 10.29 K/9, 31.4% GB (and 9.29 K/9 in an injury-marred 2006 season) Oliver Perez - 8.85 K/9, 32.8% GB John Maine - 8.48 ...

5 Reasons I Love Being a Mets Fan
New York Mets — ... Given that there’s not much going on in terms of news other than the upcoming Oliver Perez arbitration hearing, I thought that it would be a good time to share some of the things I love about being a Mets fan (think of it as a belated Valentine’s Day event). For once, I’m not looking at on-field happenings, but Mets-specific versions of some of the bells and whistles of sports fandom. (By the way, if you’re wondering why there was no ...

Oliver Perez Wins Arbitration Case - Now What?
New York Mets — ... Thursday’s hearing to determine Oliver Perez ’s 2008 salary was the first time the Mets had gone to arbitration with one of their players since 1992. Perez won, meaning that he will make $6.5 million this year (as opposed to the $4.725 million the Mets wanted to pay him). I wasn’t surprised by the outcome - after all, a team that hadn’t done this in sixteen years was up against a player represented by Scott Boras. (Then again, based on information in the ...

Rain Falls From Sky, Sky Stops Falling: A Weekend Wrap-Up
New York Mets — ... was scrub-tastic even by spring training standards. Interestingly enough, their not-ready-for-prime-time nature didn’t show up in their offensive performance, but was overwhelming on the other side of the ball. I got home from a job interview and turned on the TV just in time for the bottom of the 3rd inning, which was a collection of some of the worst fielding miscues I have seen in my entire life, one after another after another. In other words, it’s what Oliver Perez has ...

Poll: Which Mets SP Would You Rather Own?
Comments on: Fantasy — ... and Oliver Perez. As usual, vote in the poll embedded in the right sidebar, and feel free to justify your reasoning in the comments section of this post. ...

Game 3 Open Thread: New York Mets @ Florida Marlins
New York Mets — ... Pedro Martinez , and enjoying the return of Mets baseball and that special variety of hope that blankets the early days of April. Today, we’re anxiously awaiting MRI results, speculating as to how many weeks Pedro will miss, and pondering the backup plans. Based on what the beat writers have posted in their blogs, it looks as though the Mets will take advantage of the off days tomorrow and Monday and go with four starters on the next turn through the rotation, with Oliver Perez pitching the home opener Tuesday on five days’ rest. If this is the case, ...

Hands Down: 13-0 Triumph Edition
New York Mets — ... Thumb: It’s hard to single out specific players for praise when the team wins 13-0, but Oliver Perez definitely deserves some recognition for going six scoreless innings and striking out eight batters (perhaps more importantly, he only issued one walk). The night after a poor at-bat in the ninth inning placed ...

Game 6 Open Thread: New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies
New York Mets — ... represents the team turning a corner against soft-tossing lefties, rather than an exception to the rule of futility. Oliver Perez was excellent in his first start of the season and now holds the mental health of Mets fans everywhere in his hands. ...

Hands Down: Home Opener Edition
New York Mets — ... Thumb: I think this honor has to go to Oliver Perez today. It wasn’t his best outing (he walked three, only struck out two, and needed 94 pitches to get through 5 2/3 innings), but he faced a formidable lineup and did not give up a run, something that unfortunately cannot be said for some of the pitchers who followed him this afternoon. The Mets organization as a whole also deserves a thumbs-up for the tribute to William A. Shea. ...

Game #11 vs. Cincinnati
Pittsburgh Pirates — ... PNC Park | 7:05 | Snell vs. Bronson Arroyo | Box Pre-Game Thoughts Bronson Arroyo would most likely be in the rotation of “Former Pirates that went on to success after leaving in the last decade”. Jason Schmidt , Jon Lieber , Esteban Loaiza , Tim Wakefield would likely round out the rotation. If you count guys that never appeared in the Show for the Steel City nine, Chris Young would make the cut. I’m unable to talk about Oliver Perez objectively. After being acquired from the Red Sox for Wily Mo Pena , Arroyo was ...

Game #12 vs. Cincinnati
Pittsburgh Pirates — ... PNC Park | 1:35 | Gorzelanny vs. Johnny Cueto | Box Pre-Game Thoughts The Pirates are attempting to sweep the Reds and move back to .500. Last time the Pirates swept a series at home was last April 24, 25 and 26 vs. Houston. That was in the middle of a season high five game winning streak. Last time the Bucs swept Cincinnati at PNC was July 23, 24 and 25 in 2004. Winners were Oliver Perez , ...

Brewers take slugfest, 9-7, to take series at Shea
Milwaukee Brewers — ... But the Brewers’ bats finally figured out Mets stater Oliver Perez with a four run fourth to tie the game–first ...

Hands Down: Buildup to the Letdown Edition
New York Mets — ... Middle Finger: Sometimes, it’s hard to identify who deserves this “honor,” but today the choice was too easy. Oliver Perez was given a four-run lead and gave it right back almost immediately. He allowed six runs in less than five innings, and while the Brewers are a team that will pulverize left-handed pitching on a regular basis, that sort of performance is unacceptable. ...

The Opposing Viewpoint: Philadelphia Phillies (Part 2)
New York Mets — ... what type of player Werth is, you need to look no further than a game I’m sure you remember, when stole two bases off Billy Wagner in the 9th inning of a close game last August BY HIMSELF. He saw an opportunity to go based on Wagner’s inability to hold runners on and essentially created that big comeback himself. Friday night’s game is clearly the marquee matchup of the series ( Cole Hamels vs. Johan Santana ). Which of the other two matchups ( Jamie Moyer vs. Oliver Perez on Saturday, Adam Eaton vs. Mike Pelfrey on Sunday) are you ...

Hands Down: Brought To You By The Number 4 Edition
New York Mets — ... Four. It’s the number of hits Oliver Perez gave up yesterday in a fine performance. It’s the number of pitches it took for him to walk the unwalkable ...

Game 21 Open Thread: New York Mets @ Washington Nationals
New York Mets — ... The Mets will look to sweep a two-game series and make this road trip a winning one against the Nationals tonight. Oliver Perez will pitch for the Mets tonight. So far this year, Good Ollie has shown up three times and his evil twin has appeared only once. Perez has had some trouble with ...

Recap: Nationals 10- Mets 5
New York Mets — ... The Mets jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but completely fell apart in Washington Thursday night and ended up losing 10-5 in a blow out. Oliver Perez pitched 4 more scoreless innings against the Nats, but then just totally lost it. He loaded the bases in the 5th with no one out, then gave up a single to ...

Hands Down: Pirate Balks, Mets Walk (Off) Edition
New York Mets — ... was used tonight, and Sanchez and Wagner each threw at least 25 pitches. It will be interesting to see which relievers are available tomorrow given that it’s a day game after a night game, and Willie should not have as quick a hook with Oliver Perez as he has shown so far. ...

Game #27 at New York Mets
Pittsburgh Pirates — ... That familiar face toeing the rubber is Oliver Perez. He is off to a decent start in 2008. He is 2-1 with an ERA slightly better than league average. His only appearance against the Pirates came ...

Game 26 Open Thread: New York Mets vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
New York Mets — ... Compared to Gorzelanny, Oliver Perez’s 16 walks in 27 1/3 innings don’t seem so bad, but that’s still a much higher walk rate than you’d like to see. An appearance by Good Ollie would be especially welcome today, as every reliever other than ...

Recap: Pirates 13- Mets 1
New York Mets — ... The Mets got embarrassed out of their own ball park, 13-1 Wednesday afternoon by the lowly Pirates. Oliver Perez made the start, but he did not make it very long. He got through the first with relative ease, giving up a two out walk to ...

Game 30- Open Thread: Mets at Dodgers
New York Mets — ... Oliver Perez takes the hill for the Mets for the first time since his terrible outing against the Pirates last Wednesday. After that game closer ...

Hands Down: This Loss Has Been Brought To You By The Number Five Edition
New York Mets — ... Pointer Finger: While Dodger Stadium has a reputation for being a pitcher-friendly ballpark, it has had a park factor for home runs above 1 in every year since 2003 (basically, that means that more home runs are hit per game at Dodger Stadium than are hit during the Dodgers’ road games). This doesn’t excuse Oliver Perez for throwing an 0-2 meatball to ...

Game 35 Open Thread: New York Mets vs. Cincinnati Reds
New York Mets — ... Oliver Perez has made seven starts so far in 2008. In three of those starts, he has not allowed any runs. In each of the other four starts, he has allowed at least five runs. There is no question about Ollie’s talent; the issue with him is whether he can harness that talent in any given start. For a reminder of what he is capable of when everything clicks, remember his performance 52 Sundays ago: 8 1/3 innings, two hits, one run.  ...

Game Recap: Offense Keeps Clickin’: Mets 8- Reds 3
New York Mets — ... The Mets started their homestand with a winning series, taking the rubber game of a three game set with the Reds, 8-3. Oliver Perez got his first win since April 19, snapping a personal three start losing streak. Perez was not perfect; he walked 4, hit a batter, and threw a wild pitch that allowed a runner to score. But he also struck out 8 in 6 innings and gave up just 3 hits. ...

Game 41 Open Thread: New York Mets @ New York Yankees
New York Mets — ... Oliver Perez’s strong outing against the Reds last Sunday was a step in the right direction after a few subpar starts. Ollie has walked at least three batters in six of his eight starts this year, and control is especially important against a lineup as patient as the one he will be facing tonight. One encouraging sign: both of Perez’s Subway Series starts last year were excellent - he allowed two runs over 15 innings. ...

Recap: Should Have Been 13-2! Mets 11- Yankees 2
New York Mets — ... Oliver Perez pitched very well, going farther than he has all year, 7 2/3 innings for his 4th win. Perez gave up just 3 hits and struck out 4, keeping the Yankees off balance all night. He left with 2 outs in the 8th to an ovation in the Bronx, and he tipped his cap to the road fans. ...

Game 46 Open Thread: Mets at Rockies
New York Mets — ... The Mets turn to their most inconsistent starter for the most important game of the year. Remember though, when Oliver Perez was brand new to the Big Apple and having in the worst season of his career he started Game 7 of the NLCS against the Cardinals in 2006, and did a very good job. Obviously this game pales in comparison, but it shows Perez is capable of stepping up when needed. Ollie went through a very rough three game stretch, but has rebounded nicely with back to back wins. His last start was a dominant 11-2 win at Yankee Stadium. ...

Hands Down: Rock Bottom Edition
New York Mets — ... Middle Finger: Another highly questionable decision: trying to squeeze a sixth inning out of Oliver Perez when he had walked seven batters through the first five innings and was already over 100 pitches. That’s a situation where you give thanks that he was able to overcome the wildness to the extent that he only gave up two runs and go to the bullpen to start the sixth, rather than let him put the tying runs on base before pulling him. ...

Santana, Mets cool down Uggla, Marlins
Florida Marlins — ... vs. Oliver Perez. Olsen is coming off of his worst start of the year, a 3 1/3 inning, 5 run drubbing at the hands of the Giants. Things can’t get much worse than that, right? Don’t be so sure. Olsen’s velocity regressed even more that night, drawing even more attention to his ailing left shoulder. The lefty could be just one pitch away from landing on the DL. Right now, aside from ...

Game 51 Open Thread: Marlins at Mets
New York Mets — ... Everyone’s favorite erratic lefty is back at Shea tonight, as Oliver Perez tries to get the Mets a series win. Perez last pitched May 23 at Colorado, when he gave up 4 runs in 5 innings, earning a no-decision. In that start Oliver left giving the Mets a chance to win, but he was far from masterful. He allowed 6 hits and walked a season-high 8 batters, lacking control throughout the game. Unfortunately, Perez has actually been worse at Shea than he has on the road this season. In 17 2/3 innings at home, Ollie’s ERA balloons up to ...

Hands Down: Blasts From The Past Edition
New York Mets — ... home run to barely merit being mentioned? That was the first home run hit at Shea tonight, but it wasn’t the last by a long shot, and it wasn’t even the most unlikely long ball of the evening. For a little bit more than five innings, I found myself feeling comfortable about a game - the offense was clicking, Oliver Perez was cruising except for a couple of solo shots (to weak-hitting catcher ...

Game 56 Open Thread: New York Mets @ San Francisco Giants
New York Mets — ... Warming up in the visitors’ bullpen is Oliver Perez (career K/9 of 9.33, career BB/9 of 4.83). Ollie’s average fastball velocity this year is exactly the same as Sanchez’s, but Ollie doesn’t throw it quite as often - only about two-thirds of the time. While he’ll occasionally throw a curveball or changeup, Perez is pretty much a fastball/slider pitcher, throwing the slider a little more than one quarter of the time. As we all know, on any given day he’s either really good or really bad - of his 11 starts this ...

Recap: Perez Awful Again as Giants Stomp Out Mets
New York Mets — ... The first pitch of the Mets game with the Giants Monday night was at the late start time of 10:15pm in New York. Luckily for all those Mets fans working early hours, they could turn their sets off before 11:00. That is because Oliver Perez once again outdid himself and had his worst start as a Met, as the Giants won 10-2 . The erratic question mark of a left-hander went just 1/3 of an inning and gave up 6 runs, giving his team virtually no chance of winning the game. He fell to 4-4 on the year, and his ERA is now up to 5.70. ...

Game 57 Open Thread: Mets at Giants
New York Mets — ... Last night the Mets were crushed by the lowly Giants, and almost all of the blame could be placed on Oliver Perez. The lefty did not get through the 1st inning and gave up 6 runs. New York will try to bury that game in the past tonight and ride on the shoulders of the enigmatic Martinez. ...

Recap: Wolf Outduels Santana as Mets Fall Back to .500
New York Mets — ... sure DW was going to get 3 RBIs, but it just wasn’t meant to be. I liked the fact that Willie Randolph went right back to Scott Schoeneweis in the 8th inning. It was good to let him turn the page, and Scotty got the out from the only batter he faced. I couldn’t believe it when Edgar Gonzalez got hit with that ground ball. You rarely see that more than once in a season. and Met fans have now seen it twice in 24 hours. Oliver Perez is on the mound tomorrow needing to avoid a 3 ...

Game 61 Open Thread: New York Mets @ San Diego Padres
New York Mets — ... Oliver Perez will be looking to bounce back from a rather rough stretch - three starts ago he walked eight batters, two starts ago he gave up three home runs, and in his most recent start he gave up six runs in one third of an inning. Perez began his career with the Padres before being traded to Pittsburgh back in 2003. Ollie’s previous four starts against his original team include one decent outing and three bad ones, he’s currently leading the majors in walks allowed, and he’s given up 11 home runs in 60 innings despite ...

Hands Down: Same Game, Different Day Edition
New York Mets — ... Thumb: This goes to the pitching staff as a whole. Oliver Perez had his best start in a while, allowing just one run over 5 1/3 innings while striking out five, and the first three relievers out of the bullpen ( ...

Game 66 Open Thread: Rangers at Mets
New York Mets — ... Everybody’s favorite erratic lefty draws the start to face the most potent offense in the world with Willie’s job on the line. Oliver Perez has been a huge question mark all season, but he is coming off a good start. On June 7 Ollie went 5 1/3 innings and allowed only one run. He earned a no-decision in a game the Mets eventually lost, but Perez did a solid job. With the way the bullpen has been imploding, Perez will have to find a way to go at least 6 innings tonight. ...

Game 67 Open Thread: Rangers at Mets
New York Mets — ... With “Willie-Watch” still in effect, the Mets will look to build upon last night’s win with another one against the Rangers at Shea. Last night Oliver Perez and the Amazins shut down baseball’s best offense and played one of their most complete games in recent memory. And while Omar Minaya continues to support Willie Randolph, according to most media outlets the manager is still on very thin ice. Every win helps secure his job, but the wins need to come now because he might be out of chances. ...

Game 71 Open Thread: Mets at Angels
New York Mets — ... Oliver Perez has had more ups and downs than a pogo stick this year, and right now he is up. The erratic Perez has looked very good in his last two starts, giving up one run in each of them. Of course, the start before that was his worst as a Met, when he gave up 6 runs to the Giants in a third of an inning. So you never know what you’re going to get out of Ollie, and that’s what makes his starts so interesting. Perez has only one game against the Angels, back on June 15, 2004. He earned a no decision that day, going 7 innings, ...

Recap: Mets Beat K-Rod in 9th, Easley Wins it With Extra Inning Blast
New York Mets — ... But as has been the case so many times this year, the Mets could not hold the lead. Oliver Perez cruised through the first three innings, but ran into big trouble in the middle innings; a script he has written so many times before. ...

Game 76 Open Thread: New York Mets vs. Seattle Mariners
New York Mets — ... liking, climbed back up the steps only to try again, maybe putting their feet in a little bit deeper this time, repeating the cycle often enough that you begin to wonder if they’ll ever realize that the water is fine and they’d have plenty of fun if they just dove right in. Being at home against a team as terrible as the Mariners presents the perfect opportunity to start swimming. I’ve often complained about John Maine’s efficiency issues, but Oliver Perez actually throws more pitches per inning than ...

Hands Down: Knuckle Sandwich Edition
New York Mets — ... ’s horrible error, the offense not being able to score a run against a lousy pitcher), this one has to go to Oliver Perez. Coming into tonight, the Mariners were the only AL team averaging less than four runs per game. Bad Ollie gave up six runs in five innings, and while two of those were the result of Castillo booting a routine ground ball (even if only one was unearned), sloppy defense had nothing to do with the gopher ball he served up to ...

What’s the Problem? A First Half Review
New York Mets — ... (4.13 ERA, 40th percentile projection of 3.90, weighted mean of 3.46) Between 10th and 25th Percentile: Oliver Perez (5.29 ERA, 25th percentile projection of 5.28, weighted mean of 4.30) ...

Game 81 Open Thread: New York Mets vs. New York Yankees
New York Mets — ... Oliver Perez has been a huge disappointment this year after appearing to have gotten his control under, well, control last year, and it’s frustratingly tempting to wonder where the team would be right now if Ollie’s ERA were a run lower. That being said, he tends to pitch well against good teams even as he makes us all pull our hair out against the bad ones. Ollie has put up a Game Score above 60 in five of his 16 starts this year - twice against the Phillies, once each against the Marlins, Yankees, and Rangers. All four of those ...

Recap: The “Other” Ollie Shows Up and Dazzles in Win Over Yanks
New York Mets — ... When asked after today’s game what Oliver Perez needs to do to pitch more consistently, closer ...

Recap: Mets Bats Come Alive in Win Over Cardinals
New York Mets — ... again. The Mets are just so much better offensively and defensively with Ryan Church. I do not know if the Mets will win a lot more games now that Church is back, but it certainly can’t hurt to have a guy as good as him playing every day. Armas was good, but definitely not great. I can see him being a decent stopgap like Nelson Figueroa and Claudio Vargas were earlier this year, but he certainly cannot compete with guys like Oliver Perez and Pedro Martinez when they are on their game. ...

Game 88 Open Thread: New York Mets @ Philadelphia Phillies
New York Mets — ... Oliver Perez last pitched a week ago, delivering his best start of the year against the Yankees (seven innings, three hits, one run, no walks, eight strikeouts) and most likely saving his spot in the rotation, which was in jeopardy after a dreadful outing against the Mariners. Jerry Manuel opted to push Perez back a day in order to break up the two lefties in the starting rotation, and so Ollie is pitching on six days’ rest this afternoon. It’s a situation in which he has done well in the past - in 25 career starts on six or more ...

Recap: Tatis’ 2-Run Bomb in 12th Ends Marathon Game
New York Mets — ... All of this came hours after a great start by Oliver Perez. He went 7 shutout innings, allowed only 4 hits, and struck out 6 while walking 2 batters. It was his 2nd straight fantastic performance, coming off arguably the two best lineups in baseball in the Yankees and Phillies. ...

Game 93 Open Thread: Rockies at Mets
New York Mets — ... Everyone’s favorite erratic lefty is back tonight, and is riding the high of back-to-back fantastic starts. The good Oliver Perez has been out in full force the last two times out. First, he dominated the Yankees at Shea on June 29 going 7 innings and getting the win. And then he may have been even better his last start in Philadelphia, when he went 7 scoreless and struck out 6. But Perez has always pitched well against both the Yanks and Phils, and now he will have to prove he can continue to do it against the lesser teams. ...

The 2008 Mets: Jessica’s Second 41.36% Preview
New York Mets — ... Luis Castillo - .278/.352/.355 Brian Schneider - .248/.326/.347 Ryan Church - .277/.352/.467 Endy Chavez - .268/.318/.370 Damion Easley - .252/.322/.400 Fernando Tatis - .267/.325/.423 Marlon Anderson - .256/.314/.406 Angel Pagan - .264/.328/.413 Ramon Castro - .259/.329/.444 Johan Santana - 3.38 ERA, 1.16 WHIP Mike Pelfrey - 3.94 ERA, 1.44 WHIP John Maine - 3.99 ERA, 1.31 WHIP Oliver Perez - 4.66 ERA, 1.42 WHIP Aaron Heilman - 3.71 ERA, 1.32 WHIP Pedro Martinez - ...

Game 97 Open Thread: Mets at Reds
New York Mets — ... and Oliver Perez have been pitching so well of late, so that’s a good thing. Maine gets a chance to prove he still belongs in the upper portion of the rotation tonight in Cincinnati. Maine has only given up a combined 3 hits over his last 2 starts, but his problem continues to be his walks and high pitch counts. He has not gone 6 innings since June 25, and has not pitched 7 innings since he was 2 outs away from a complete game win on May 7. Maine needs to keep his pitch count down, get swings and misses, and have command of his fastball. ...

Game 98 Open Thread: Mets at Reds
New York Mets — ... The good Oliver Perez has been out in full force his last three starts, giving up just 2 runs over 20 innings. But the wild lefty needs to keep his walks down, because his propensity to give up the long ball combined with the ban box in Cincinnati could spell doom if he is giving away free passes. Ollie has pitched well at the Great American Ball Park though, going 4-1 with 57 strikeouts in 47 innings. A 5th win would be great tonight. ...

Game 102 Open Thread: Phillies at Mets
New York Mets — ... Oliver Perez is one man who definitely wants today’s game to be played. Ollie has been dominant against the Phillies, especially since he has been with the Mets. And today he carries an 18 1/3 scoreless innings streak against the Fightin’ Phils into the game. Perez has not allowed an extra base hit against Philadelphia yet this year in 3 starts; all 11 hits he’s surrendured have been singles. Also on Ollie’s side is the start time of the game. He’s made 7 day starts this year, and is 3-1 with a 2.89 ERA in those ...

Recap: Ollie and Delgado Push Mets All Alone into First
New York Mets — ... The other hero of the game is obviously Oliver Perez. Even though he didn’t get the win, he certainly deserved it. He may be so frustrating you pull out half your hair sometimes, but the man has filthy stuff, and he brings out his A-game whenever it’s against a top flight team. He absolutely owns the Phillies, and that in itself may be enough for me to say the Mets should re-sign him in the offseason. PS- I love the beard. ...

Fish rally late, take opener against Mets
Florida Marlins — ... With a win tonight, the Marlins can move into a tie for first place, returning to the division lead for the first time since May. Oliver Perez will meet ...

Game 107 Open Thread: New York Mets @ Florida Marlins
New York Mets — Two months and one day ago, the Mets and Marlins faced off at Shea, with Oliver Perez and Scott Olsen as the respective starting pitchers. The key plays and memorable moments from that game mostly took place long after the starters had departed, and the Mets’ dramatic come-from-behind victory was immediately referred to as a possible turning point. In many ways, the only things that have stayed the same since then are the division being tight and Fernando Tatis getting key hits. Coming into that game back in ...

Recap: Bullpen Holds Lead for Perez in Mets Win
New York Mets — ... The Mets bullpen has been in a slump lately and taking a lot of heat from the media and fans. But the pen was spot on tonight, tossing 3 shutout innings and allowing only one hit to help Oliver Perez and the Mets to a 4-1 victory. Since the Phillies also won tonight the Amazins hold onto their slim half-game lead at the top of the NL East, and now lead the third-place Marlins by 2 games. ...

Wasted chances lead to key loss
Florida Marlins — ... Oliver Perez wasn’t much better than his counterpart. As a matter of fact, if anything, he was worse, giving up 8 base runners to Olsen’s 7. Five of them got into scoring position but Florida was only able to scratch out one run. The theme was similar after Perez took his leave in the 7th. The Marlins put the tying in scoring position for a fifth time against Mets setup man ...

A Mets Fan’s Guide To…The Trading Deadline
New York Mets — ... Schoeneweis being traded for an outfielder if the team can acquire another reliever. What have the Mets done at the deadline in recent years? In the Omar Minaya era, the Mets haven’t really been known for big deadline moves (and let’s just ignore the Duquette era right now for the sake of everyone’s well-being, okay?). The Mets did not make any deadline trades in 2005. In 2006, they traded Xavier Nady for Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez, a move that was made because Duaner ...

The 2008 Mets: Two-Thirds Review, One-Third Preview
New York Mets — ... (2.93 ERA, 60th percentile projection of 2.97, weighted mean of 3.01, Q&D Marcel of 3.45 FIP) Oliver Perez (4.02 ERA, 60th percentile projection of 4.06, weighted mean of 4.30, Q&D Marcel of 4.54 FIP) Between 50th and 60th Percentile: ...

Game 109 Open Thread: Mets at Astros
New York Mets — ... and Oliver Perez pitching so well right now, Pedro doesn’t need to come back and be dominant. He just has to fit in as a 4th or 5th starter. Health is the number one key for him right now, and I am still confident that if he can string together 9 starts in a row without getting hurt he can get back to his 2005 form. ...

Game 111 Open Thread: New York Mets @ Houston Astros
New York Mets — ... innings in three of them. Still, it is worth noting that Wolf (who was traded to the Astros last week) has put up a 3.17 ERA at Petco Park and a 6.60 ERA everywhere else this year and that he’s a left-handed pitcher (albeit one who’s had a reverse platoon split this year) who doesn’t generate that many ground balls - not exactly the recipe for success in a park like Minute Maid that has a short porch in left field. Speaking of left-handed pitchers, Oliver Perez (who is very much a fly-ball pitcher) gets ...

Recap: Mets Get Swept Out of Houston
New York Mets — ... Oliver Perez took his 7th loss, giving up 4 runs and 8 hits over 6 innings. Ollie pitched ok this afternoon, but ran into big trouble in the 4th, when he gave up 3 runs. With the Astros up 1-0 on a ...

Game 115 Open Thread: Marlins at Mets
New York Mets —

Recap: Ollie Dominant as Mets Jump Fish in Standings
New York Mets — ... After a terrible stretch early this year, Oliver Perez is now making millions of dollars with every start. He shut the powerful Marlins lineup down for 7 strong innings, earning his 8th victory as the Mets won 3-0. ...

Game 121 Open Thread: Mets at Nationals
New York Mets — ... Oliver Perez has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since July 1, going 2-2 with a staggering 1.77 ERA over his last 7 starts. Ollie has also struck out 47 and walked just 18 over that span. But as all Mets fans know, while Perez has the stuff legends are made of he can also completely lose it at any time. So far under Dan Warthen he seems like a much better pitcher, but it is still very interesting to watch him from start to start to see how long he can keep this streak going. As always with Oliver he seems to fare much better against ...

Hands Down: Sweeping the Attic Edition
New York Mets — ... trips to San Diego and Houston still sting, reminders of a team that needs every bit of the successthey’ve had against winning teams to offset the subpar performance against the ones they’re supposed to beat. Tonight, however, seeing those words strung together brings a smile to my face. The Mets went into DC and swept those pesky Nats, with two laughers after a nailbiting series opener. They scored early, they scored often, they scored insurance runs, they survived Oliver Perez suddenly remembering he was facing a sub-.500 team, ...

Game 126 Open Thread: New York Mets vs. Atlanta Braves
New York Mets — ... In a little more than two seasons as a Met, Oliver Perez has made seven starts against the Braves, and in typical Ollie fashion (if there is such a thing), he’s been either awful (two starts with a Game Score of 32 or lower) or brilliant (four starts with a Game Score of 64 or higher). It’s hard to predict how he’ll do tonight - Ollie has had his issues against sub-.500 teams this year, but this is a team he’s done well against over the past couple of years, and he’s generally been stellar in the nine starts since ...

Recap: Bats Awake Late in Win Over Braves
New York Mets — ... a 5-run 8th that gave them a 7-3 lead, which ended up being the final score. The rally was highlighted by Carlos Delgado’s big 2-run double with the bases loaded that snapped a 3-42 stretch for the team with the sacks packed. The Mets jumped out to a lead in the first as they usually do, scoring 2 runs on a sac fly by David Wright and an RBI double by Fernando Tatis. It was incredibly the 82nd time the Amazins have scored first in their 126 games. Oliver Perez could not hold the lead though, giving up 3 runs in ...

The Opposing Viewpoint: Houston Astros (Part 2)
New York Mets — ... , who appears to have found his stuff, so the most interesting pitcher is Oliver Perez , who is simply unpredictable. Maine and Pelfrey appear to be running on fumes. This entry was posted on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 3:12 am and is filed under ...

Game 131 Open Thread: New York Mets vs. Houston Astros
New York Mets — ... Now that that’s out of the way, we have a showdown between two lefties that’s a rematch of a game played exactly three weeks ago. That afternoon in Houston, Oliver Perez took the loss, allowing four runs on eight hits in six innings. That outing is the only one of his last ten that was not a quality start. One batter Ollie must watch out for this afternoon is ...

Recap: Ausmus and Erstad Go Deep in the 10th to Beat Mets
New York Mets — ... Oliver Perez left with 1 out in the 7th and a 4-3 lead with a runner on first. Ollie threw 111 pitches, struck out 8 and walked just one batter. But ...

Game #134: Brewers at Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates — ... could finish the year on a good note. After Oliver Perez emerged strongly in 2004, he had a disastrous 2005 season. Gorzy is doing the same thing. But his season after break out is actually worse than Perez’ was. ...

Game 135 Open Thread: Mets at Marlins
New York Mets — ... stretch is upon us, and it begins with a series in Miami starting tonight. The fading Marlins have been in it all year, but are 6-9 in their last 15 games and have fallen 6 games off the pace. This is an enormous series for them and the Fish should come to play against the Mets, who they always get up for even when they’re out of it (please see: final game of 2007). Pitching Matchup: Oliver Perez (9-7, 4.00 ERA) vs. Chris Volstad (4-3, 3.42 ERA) Oliver Perez takes the hill in place of John Maine, who ...

Fish drop rubber match to Braves
Florida Marlins — ... when it arrives when the Marlins are fighting for their playoff lives, it hurts. Over the past two weeks, I’ve stayed on the fence about the Marlins’ playoff chances but after dropping two out of three to a team that went 9-17 this month, I’m beginning to lose my optimism. If they don’t take at least two out of three from the division leading Mets this weekend, my optimism tank will have run dry. The first of those three games takes place tonight. Oliver Perez vs Chris Volstad.

Game #134: Braun’s Dinger, Bush’s Arm Power Brew Crew
Pittsburgh Pirates — ... could finish the year on a good note. After Oliver Perez emerged strongly in 2004, he had a disastrous 2005 season. Gorzy is doing the same thing. But his season after break out is actually worse than Perez’ was. This will Gorzelanny’s third straight start against Milwaukee. His last turn on ...

Game 140 Open Thread: Mets at Brewers
New York Mets — ... Oliver Perez once again goes for his 10th win of the season, a feat that has avoided him his last three starts. Despite the fact the Ollie has only 3 wins since June 29, he really has pitched excellently for the most part. In his last start he went 6 innings and allowed only one run to the Marlins. Perez does much better against lefties (.155 BAA) than righties (.252 BAA), and the Brewers righty-based lineup tends to feast on southpaws. But so far the Mets have already sent two lefties to the hill against Milwaukee and won both games, so maybe ...

Recap: Church’s Grand Slam Leads Mets to Sweep
New York Mets — ... also homered in a 6-run first inning that catapulted the Mets to a rare easy victory, 9-2 over the Brewers. The victory completes the sweep of the wild card leaders and finishes a 6-2 road trip. Oliver Perez pitched 6 2/3 solid innings, giving up 2 runs and earning his 10th win of the season. And the bullpen once again did a good job, throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings to finish the job. ...

Game 144 Open Thread: New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals
New York Mets — ... Returning to the matter at hand, tonight’s game features a matchup between two left-handed pitchers who have been successful but can have their share of rough outings.  With Oliver Perez, the issue is always the ability to throw strikes. While it’s been over two months since he’s had a Bad Ollie start, I can’t help but be a bit worried that in three of his last four starts he has walked five batters and thrown less than 60% of his pitches for strikes. While he’s not going to be facing a powerhouse offense tonight, ...

The Opposing Viewpoint: Washington Nationals (Part 5)
New York Mets — ... walk or hit for power but a .300 average makes him a useful player rather than a dsisgrace; of course as you can probably tell I dislike Guzman the player so the fact he broke .200 surprises me.)   For most Nats fans it would probably be the emergence of John Lannan.  He entered 2007 coming off a very mediocre A-ball season, less than two years later he’s probably the Nats best starter.  That’s not even a knock on the Nats.  For example, his WHIP and ERA+ are roughly in line with Oliver Perez and ...

Recap: What More Can You Say About Carlos Delgado?
New York Mets — ... The Mets beat the Nationals 10-8 in a wild back and forth game Tuesday night, and combined with the Phillies loss they took a 2.5 game lead in first place. The bullpen was strong after a rare bad outing from Oliver Perez , and once again the lineup was carried by the team’s MVP ...

Game 148 Open Thread: New York Mets vs. Atlanta Braves
New York Mets — ... Oliver Perez was pulverized by the Nationals on Tuesday, giving up seven runs and failing to make it out of the fourth inning. It was Ollie’s first real stinker in quite a while - the last time he allowed more than four runs or lasted less than six innings was back in June against the Mariners. Normally, when a pitcher’s last two awful starts were against terrible teams, you’d be puzzled, but with Perez that’s par for the course. In 13 starts against teams that as of today have a losing record, Ollie is 3-5 with a 6.02 ...

Hands Down: Going to Waste Edition
New York Mets — ... had four hits, including a pair of home runs (his 30th and 31st of the season, establishing a new career high) that drove in three of the Mets’ four runs. Oliver Perez overcame a rough beginning to the afternoon and pitched like he was facing a good team, giving up just two runs on four hits over seven innings and striking out eight. ...

Game 153 Open Thread: Mets at Braves
New York Mets — ... Oliver Perez has a history of pitching very well against the Braves. The Mets have a history of playing very badly at Turner Field. These two patterns will come to a head tonight, as the slumping Braves host their favorite prey in the biggest series at Turner Field since September 2001. ...

Hands Down: Defense First Edition
New York Mets — ... Pointer Finger: Once upon a time, the knock on Oliver Perez was that he melted down ...

Game 158 Open Thread: New York Mets vs. Chicago Cubs
New York Mets — ... One of the criticisms often thrown at Oliver Perez is that you never know which Ollie you’re going to get in any given start, a point best illustrated by looking at his ...

Recap: Once Again Mets Suffer Worst Loss of Season
New York Mets — ... gave the Mets and Oliver Perez a 4-run cushion. Of course, the pitchers couldn’t hold it, and by the time Perez’s book was closed he had allowed 5 runs himself and the game was tied. Ollie left with the score 5-3. But ...

Game 162 Open Thread: New York Mets vs. Florida Marlins
New York Mets — ... Less than 24 hours after one Mets left-hander was brilliant on three days’ rest, another will look to do the same. Oliver Perez has started a game on three days’ rest twice in his major-league career. The first time was in ...

The Bitter End: Reflections on the Final Game at Shea
New York Mets — ... of the crowd had gone through the turnstiles, to enjoy in relative silence a place I wanted to commit to memory to the best of my abilities. Thanks to the weather, I had even more time than I had anticipated to snap the hey-I-was-here-today pictures and think about what the day might bring. I’m not going to dig too deeply into the game itself; you all saw it, you all know what happened. In many ways, it seemed like a re-enactment of Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS - good performance from Oliver Perez on short rest, fantastic catch by ...

Recap: Another Brutal End to the Season Forces Fans to “Shea Goodbye”
New York Mets — ... the gloomy skies that had been pouring rain suddenly gave way to a beautiful day full of sunshine and a summer-like heat. But in the end none of that mattered, and the same Florida Marlins team that shocked us a year ago did it again in 2008. They beat the Mets on the final game of the season, 4-2 at Shea to knock the team out of contention and close the doors of the 45-year old stadium at the same time. The Brewers beat Chicago to clinch the wild card, and the Mets season is over. Oliver Perez pitched a great game, much like he did in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. He mowed the ...

2008 Mets Grades- Catcher
New York Mets — ... , Oliver Perez, and the rest of the Mets rotation. Early on he had several pitches get by him and catching ability seemed worse than advertised. On the other hand his bat was better than expected. The light hitting lefty raked in April, recording hits in 10 of his first 12 games, including 3 separate 3-hit performances. ...