Billy Calls Out Ollie

[TransMonk]

Ironic Prediction for 5/5/08:

Ollie throws 8 innings of shutout ball...the Mets lead 3-0 in the ninth...Wags blows the save...Perez keeps his mouth shut.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

No more reliably than Perez throws strikes, he won't be able to go eight innings unless Willie lets him throw 150 pitches. He's only pitched six complete innings once in his 6 starts.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

TransMonk wrote: Ironic Prediction for 5/5/08: Ollie throws 8 innings of shutout ball...the Mets lead 3-0 in the ninth...Wags blows the save...Perez keeps his mouth shut.

Yup ©

[Guest holychicken]

TransMonk wrote: Ironic Prediction for 5/5/08: Ollie throws 8 innings of shutout ball...the Mets lead 3-0 in the ninth...Wags blows the save...Perez keeps his mouth shut.

Wow, you're evil.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

The only good thing about the way Perez is pitching thus far this season is that he could be retained relatively cheaply should the Mets desire to keep him. His stock, like all of mine, is in steady decline at present. I hope both he, and the market, gets turned around soon.

[metirish]

Gil Meche cheap or a lot less?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Billy and Willie are patronizingly supportive today. Real improvement and stuff.

[Guest AG/DC]

Patroinizing, yes, but I agree. It took more than Ollie to lose last night.

I just think his motion is so whack-a-doodle, he's always going to be a project.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I totally agree it was as good as he's looked all year, about. But that last HR was a killer, he needs to strap em on for every pitch.

[Guest AG/DC]

Sure, but that sort of thingy can happen when your offense gives you no margin for error.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

As soon as I saw Billingsley's K/IP ratio I figured the offense would score maybe twice if they were lucky (they were unlucky and scored once). I shut it down after Beimel destroyed us in the 7th, and dreamed we cut it to 5-4 and lost.

[Guest themetfairy]

I just felt like bumping this.

I would have loved it if Ollie had bitch slapped Wagner in the dugout at the end of the 9th in Philly yesterday.

[Centerfield]

I was thinking about this too. It would be great to hear Ollie talk about how Wagner has to give a better effort out there and stay focused.

[G-Fafif]

]Wagner called the Mets "fortunate" to be 14-12 and openly criticized Perez. "Perez has honestly got to step up and know that we've just used every guy in our bullpen the night before," Wagner said. "He can't come out there and decide that gee, he hasn't got it today, and so be it." Asked if someone ought to relay that sentiment to Perez, Wagner suggested it would be "pretty much" like talking to a wall. Perez, for his part, was unfazed by Wagner's remark. "You have to help your team going deep in the game," he said. "I was trying to do that."

Maybe not Ollie, but one of the outfielders could have gotten on Billy yesterday about forcing them to work several more innings, how every guy in our outfield is trying to make up for the absence of Alou and Church and how by extending the game, they had to risk further injury as a corps by spending more time patrolling that treacherous wet grass. Billy can't just go out there and decide to hang a slider and shrug his shoulders.

But that would have been ludicrous and nobody would have said that. Guess they just don't care as much as Billy.

[Guest AG/DC]

I like the part where Perez decides to fail.

[soupcan]

All this sticking up for Ollie is fine but are any of you guys ready to throw Santana money at him in this off-season?

I'm not.

[G-Fafif]

="AG/DC"]I like the part where Perez decides to fail.

I had to keep reminding myself yesterday that Wagner didn't mean to hang a slider to Werth, that he'd rather get him out, that he likes to collect saves. It's silly to think otherwise (unless this is the 1919 World Series). So how did Billy get away with his characterization of Perez that afternoon?

Must have been the language barrier between Billy and the press.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

In answer to Soupcans question, I offer an emphatic no. I'm tired of the Good Ollie/Bad Ollie act that Perez has displayed during his time with the Mets. He can be very good at times, but he's just too damn inconsistant to be relied upon as more than a #3 or #4 pitcher in a rotation. I think he will look to land a big money deal more in line with a front line starter, and I just don't think he's worth it.

[G-Fafif]

Dan Warthen fixed Ollie's arm angle so he can more readily endorse a very large check this winter.

[Benjamin Grimm]

soupcan wrote: All this sticking up for Ollie is fine but are any of you guys ready to throw Santana money at him in this off-season? I'm not.

Me neither. That's why I'm in favor of trading him this month, although I acknowledge that he'd be hard to replace from within for the next few months.

(Maybe they can sign Freddy Garcia. Or maybe Orlando Hernandez really WILL pitch again. Or maybe the Perez deal would yield a guy, with less upside than Perez, of course, who could join the rotation. Otherwise, we're looking at Santana, Maine, Pelfrey, Martinez, Armas/Vargas.)

[Guest themetfairy]

soupcan wrote: All this sticking up for Ollie is fine but are any of you guys ready to throw Santana money at him in this off-season? I'm not.

That's a totally separate question.

No, I don't want to throw stupid money at Ollie next season. But I don't like a guy who will dump on his teammate while he's struggling. Wagner has earned all of this ill will because he was a jerk in public to a teammate who could have used his support at the time.

[Centerfield]

Yes, let's be clear. I'm not saying good things about Ollie. I'm saying bad things about Wagner.