Age of starting pitchers: A column chart

Twitter Poll: Did Mets make the right move with Oliver Perez?

OK, I caved.  I asked the obvious question.  Did the Mets make the right move with Oliver Perez?

Well, my Twitter followers had a lot to say.  Here are their responses…

Who said yes…

SITTINGINTHEBAC said: yes because he wasn't coming out with the stuff we paid him for so needs to sit back there and think his stuff over

DaCurryman said: U can't really put him on the DL cause he needs 2 get his in-game confidence back. Being part of the BP lets him do that.

Who said no…

jonnew said: Minors, absolutely. Worked for Trachsel and Myers. Ollie will waste in pen. Bad move.

mclay8823 said: I don't think so. The kid is a starter. He needs to go down to the minors for some "rehab" starts

brentsower said: I don't see how we're going to get any use out of him in the pen unless we need someone for an intentional walk.

kerelcoop said: no. if he has something wrong in his delivery or in his head, I'd rather see him work it out in the minors.

metgirl4ever said: NO!! I don't see how he can focus on getting better w/constant reminders of how incompetent he is-he needs change of scenery

mets_geekette said: Yeah.. he won't be any use there but I'd guess they're hoping to keep him near Warthen and generally address his mental block

MissBethAnn said: I think that even when Oliver is at his best he's still too inconsistent for the pen.Shuffle him off to Buffalo toot sweet!

MetsNY81 said: Wrong move, imo. The last thing you want to do out of the bullpen is walk batters, and that's Oliver Perez's specialty.

MarkBennardo said: They should have put Ollie in the bullpen...in BUFFALO!

zim1021 said: No, they didn't. He should go to the minors and work on everything. Once he proves himself, he comes back up.

cutiepie0319k said: wrong move. he should be in the minors rebuilding his confidence and delivery.

gmo418 said: No, whats the move going to do? Have him come in and ruin game in 6th or 7th instead of the 1st?

samtpage said: No. He'll have to be a total shutdown reliever to match his value as a below-average starter, given a mop-up role. Niese plz.

darknova306 said: Ollie should be in extended ST to work on mental discipline and physical conditioning.

nymx5793 said: no. He should have been DLed and went down to St Lucie, not sitting in the pen...

mostlymets said: No. Steve Trachsel and Brett Myers are good examples of what a trip to the minors can accomplish.

mostlymets said: Plus Perez in bullpen means Manuel must change his bullpen usage to be sure Perez gets enough work to overcome his issues.

wendy93639 said: no. All the bullpen has is that *how to walk 'em* training video. When is he going to get the time in to learn how to pitch?

pattigibbons said: No. He should be given the opportunity to focus, retool out of the glare. He should be in Buffalo.

gwong said: They should have asked Ollie for the demotion to the minors so he can work some shit out w/o hurting the team.

lvadgal said: - I think he should have gone to minors. Maybe the pen is step 1 and if he shanks he will go to minors?

Jury is still out…

metsjetsgirl said: I'm not sure yet. I think he walks too many to be very valuable in the 'pen, but time will tell.

From the jokesters…

Retire31 said: No. He still isn't in a Brooklyn Cyclones commercial.

Wow.  Overwhelmingly “No.”

Everyone must remember this is only temporary, at least until he gets his stuff back and/or loses it entirely and heads down to Buffalo.  He’s up in the majors with Dan Warthen, the pitching coach that knows him best.

Not on Twitter?  Hit the comments to toss in your 2¢ on the Perez to the bullpen move.

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in the next Twitter Poll!

Game Recap: Mets 6 – Braves 4

A solid start, a come from behind win and an uneventful 9th inning.  Mets fans must be happy.

The New York Mets (11-13) beat the Atlanta Braves (11-14) by a score of 6-4.

The Mini Recap

John Maine made another strong start for the Mets.  Save for one inning and his six walks, he was spectacular.  In the second inning, Maine walked three batters and allowed two hits in the inning, his only scar on an otherwise great game.  The 7th, 8th and 9th guys did their duty as the Mets came from behind to win.

Carlos Beltran is on fire.  He’s batting .400 on the year after going 2-3 with two home-runs and four RBI.  David Wright also went deep, a two-run shot of his own, picking up RBIs No. 500 and 501.

For the full recap, please read my article
Beltran Powers Mets To Win.

Live Blog/Chat Room: NYM @ ATL

Join in for another rip roarin’ good time.  We’ll talk Mets, MLB and anything else that comes to mind.  The chat will begin at 7 p.m.

Chat has been removed.  Check back tomorrow for another rousing room of words.

Perez to bullpen, Takahashi on mound for Friday

Oliver Perez has been moved into the bullpen, according to Jerry Manuel.

Ken Takahashi will start in his place on Friday, likely with a 65-pitch limit.

The Mets have just found themselves in possession of a $36 million reliever.  How nice.

What to do with Oliver Perez?

As it stands right now, Oliver Perez is not in the starting rotation for the New York Mets.  What’s left to be seen is where he’ll end up. 

All indications are pointing toward Perez heading to the bullpen as opposed to the minor leagues.  Another possibility is that Perez lands on the disabled list.  A report came out yesterday that said Perez had an ice pack on his knee before the rainout.

To me, that seems like a ploy by the Mets to slip him onto the DL and allow him to head to extended spring training without incident.

Perez cannot stay in the starting rotation at this pace.  His starts eventually lead to bullpen blowouts, hurting the team for the game he starts and even a few games after that.

Is the bullpen the best place for Perez to re-learn how to pitch?  Probably not.  Who will start in his place?  No idea.  Will it cost the Mets a player from the bullpen that they will likely need in a tough spot if they call up another starter?  Most likely.

For the last question, the most logical move right now is to slip Ken Takahashi into Perez’s spot in the rotation.  With a pitch count, hope he can get through four innings and patch together the rest of the game from the arms in the bullpen.  Not the best choice, but it keeps a roster spot from being swapped to call up a player from the minor leagues.

Options down on the farm include Brandon Knight, Nelson Figueroa, Jon Niese and Dillon Gee, among others.  Figueroa or Knight will likely get the call if they cannot figure out Perez while he’s in the bullpen or if he has to go to the disabled list.

Perez has quickly become Omar Minaya’s albatross.  He’s not performing anywhere near expectations and is costing the team a whole lot of money.  Right now, the Mets don’t seem to know what to do with Perez and would like to stick him somewhere where he cannot kill the team. 

I think they’ll put him on the DL with a “knee injury” and hope for the best.  Get him some “rehab” starts in the minor leagues and hope he can turn things around.

If not…well…who knows…

(Ed. note: Big Spanish final today (or should I say “grande”?).  I’ll be back to post afterwards.  Hopefully nothing important breaks.  Oh, and wish me luck.)

Twitter Poll: What is your favorite Mets uniform and why?

Yesterday was an off-day for the Mets.  I could have asked the obvious “What do you do with Oliver Perez?” question, but instead I went a different route.

I asked my Twitter followers what their favorite Mets uniform was, and why?  Here are their responses…

DonCheech said: Blue Caps, Grey Roads. By far the best. And we won 15-6 vs. Yanks with them

jessicarubin said: Can't decide. Stripes are too Yanks and grey is ugly. I think I'll go w/ classic white. Black is a "secondary color"

Jbones72 said: The classic blue pinstripes, I HATE the " Bklyn Dodger" solid white and the black!

brentsower said: The all white home jerseys. Really loved the one year they wore them without names on the back. Very clean & classy.

ByronBrewer said: Anything that isn't black and isn't worn with those ugly black & blue hats.

dmoneymania said: Pinstripes BC the snow whites remind me of the Bakers cap fiasco & the blacks have run their course. Pins&Greys. Blue caps!

benmyerson said: 80s pullovers with the racing stripes. Mustaches not required (though highly encouraged).

JTKrycek said: i may get booed 4this but i like the black jerseys, and also the white pin-stripes, which they don't wear enough.

JTKrycek said: as for why, i don't really know, other than i HATE orange. those racing striped PJs from the 80s were bad, truly

metgirl4ever said: my fav is black uni b/c when I first started watching the Mets, that's what they wore most of time w/all black cap w/blue NY

fullnelson said: Mets Gray Road uniform = my favorite 'cause uses 'old English style Type / Font' + solid Blue & Orange outline = "NEW YORK"

metschick said: My fave is the pinstripes WITH the blue hats. Why? I think it looks best. Classic.

giger4321 said: 86 pinstripes

darknova306 said: I like the black unis. Give good contrast with the blue and orange, where they kinda get washed out by bright white.

kierankelly said: They've always looked the best in the home pinstripes with the blue caps. All the black needs to go.

samtpage said: The all-white Bernard Gilkey of course: http://tinyurl.com/d6oufv.

From the peanut gallery…

Retire31 said: The Mercury Mets. 'nuff said.

Personally, I love the ‘80s pinstripe pullovers.  So cheesy yet so classic.  Right now, I love the grey uniforms.  Pair them with the blue caps and blue socks, and you have the best Mets uniform.

Tweet of the Day: samtpage said: The all-white Bernard Gilkey of course: http://tinyurl.com/d6oufv.

Not on Twitter?  Hit the comments to toss in your 2¢ on the Mets best uni.

Follow me on Twitter to participate
in the next Twitter Poll!

Ex-Mets: Vargas earns win as Seattle walks off in 15th

Jason Vargas turned in 2 1-3 innings and earned the win as the Seattle Mariners  walked off in the bottom of the 15th inning.  He allowed two hits and walked one, striking out four.

Vargas came to the Mets when the team sent Matt Lindstrom (now the Marlins closer) and Henry Owens (currently suspended for 50 games for testing positive for performance-enhancers).  Along with Vargas, the Mets also picked up Adam Bostick.  Bostick is currently 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA for Double-A Binghamton.

Vargas landed in Seattle as one of the seven players New York and Cleveland Indians sent west in the three-team traded that brought J.J. Putz, Jeremy Reed and Sean Green to the Mets.

Vargas was 0-1 with the Mets in two starts.  He pitched 10.1 innings, allowing 17 hits and four home runs for a 12.19 ERA. 

Joe Janish of Mets Today explains it all

Though he didn’t perform well as a New York Met, it could be partially due to being less than 100% in his two starts in the orange and blue. Now, it appears he’s finally healthy (great timing) and beginning to live up to the expectations set as a rookie for the Marlins in 2005. In four games started this year, the 26-year-old Vargas has pitched 21 2/3 innings, struck out 22, walked 8, allowed 15 hits, and has a 2.49 ERA.

Sure would be nice to have a lefty starter with those kind of numbers waiting in AAA about now, wouldn’t it? Oh well, at least the eighth inning is locked down — you have to give up something to get something.

Mets Chat Room: Rainout edition

Join in for an unplanned off-day chat!

Thanks for participating.  The chat room has been removed.

Another spectacular chat about everything and nothing in particular!

No game today

Today’s game between the Phillies and the Mets has been rained out.  A makeup date has not been announced.

Side note: Sorry for the lack of The State of the Mets / normal posting recently.  We’re heading into finals week here at Quinnipiac and I’ve also come down with a killer head cold.  I have my first and toughest final tomorrow, so hopefully I get a little healthier and will return to normality soon.