http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.js54 licks through 6 innings
I don’t know if that “Lick Count” is entirely accurate but it’s a new statistic we should be working on to see what percentage of licks works best in certain situations and maybe have the struggling starters implement the lick schedule.
But seriously – We’ve now seen 4 of the 5 starters and Oliver Perez goes today. Since this team’s success is going to rely on how well the starterrs pitch I’ve been watching them closely this week. As expected, a good outing by Johan Santana.
Good outings by Jon Niese and Mike Pelfrey have eased my nerves a little. The bad outing by John Maine definitely worries me as, from what I’m hearing, he might not ever find his true form.Next up, Mr. Rolaids, Ollie Perez. Ollie has some very nasty stuff and if he was consistent he would be right up there with Santana. Yes, I’ve mentioned Ollie with Santana in the same sentence because I’ve seen Ollie have even nastier stuff than Santana. The trick is to get him to the point where he is consistent. He seems to only find his nasty stuff for big games, like the playoffs or Mets/Yankees. I’ve never seen him grind out his best stuff over longer periods of time or even two games in a row.
Ollie’s “Stuff” and the fact he is a lefty is what got him that big contract, certainly not his record. The contract is a steal if Ollie can find his consistency to match his talent. If not, the contract was a gamble that Omar lost. I’ll hold off judgement on Ollie until he finishes his day today and maybe even after his second start.
As for Maine, if he has to be replaced in the rotation, who do we go to? With so many question marks in the pitching staff I was hoping Nelson Figueroa would still be available as a backup.
The Phillies wisely picked up Figueroa to give the Mets one less pitching option. So the Phillies are certainly thinking about the Mets and it’s a good long term strategic move for them to weaken the Mets while giving themselves another option for a starter.
So far what I’ve seen from the pitching staff is “mostly” good. If true Ollie pitches consistently well and four of the five starters are solid then this will be a good year.
We weren’t able to hang with the Marlins, can we swat the Nats this weekend?
The Mets Report 