Pitching For A Winning Streak

John Maine 6 innings, 1 earned run
Pedro Martinez 6 innings, 3 earned runs
Johan Santana, 7.2 innings, 1 earned run
Mike Pelfrey, 7 innings, 2 earned runs
Oliver Perez 1/3 inning, 6 earned runs ... Whoops.

The last turn through the Mets rotation was very impressive with the exception of a horrible outing by Oliver Perez. Still with Pedro back, the Mets look like a team capable of putting together long winning streaks for the first time this season since the opening week of the season.

The Mets probably don't have the hitting to compete with the fighting Phils so they are going to have to win the division with pitching. And that means Oliver Perez is going to need to pick it up. Perez won 15 games last year and was quietly one of the 10 best pitchers in the NL. He was much more consistent last year than people give him credit for. This year though he has earned the reputation he has been tagged with.

Perez does like the big stage. His ERA in two starts vs. the first place Phillies is 0.00. Against the Yanks, always a big stage, he pitched 7.2 innings and allowed just 2 runs. Unfortunately, his stats against lesser teams are horrible. Against Pittsburgh, his ERA is 10.80. Against the Giants it is 162.00. We know monkeys that can't even count that high.

What is the problem with Perez? Did the Mets wait too long to quarantine Carlos Delgado who carried the disease of "we're so good, we're bored?" The Mets need to figure that out in a hurry because more and more, Perez looks like the key to the season. Is it any wonder why fans don't know whether to be optimistic or not?

REYES ANSWERS CRITICS

May : 5 HR, 15 RBI, .310 BA .379 OBP
June: 1 HR, 4 RBI, .319 BA, .350 OBP

Move on, folks. Nothing to see here. Except a few defensive flubs, Jose Reyes is back.

MAINE MAN

John Maine now 37-19 as a Met. He has the highest winning percentage of any starter with over 50 decisions in Mets history. How crazy is that? No matter what Omar has done since, this trade will always be a part of his legacy. And what did he give up?