Oliver Perez Set To Return On Wednesday

According to espn.com, Oliver Perez is set to return to the Mets to make a start on Wednesday night against the Dodgers at Citi Field.  Although he claims to be healthy, his latest effort on the mound seems to suggest that not much has changed since we last saw him in New York.  He continues to be the master of the conga line, allowing opposing hitters to walk freely around the bases.  He threw 92 pitches Friday night against the Rochester Red Wings in five-plus innings, but only half of them were for strikes.  Perez allowed three runs on five hits, while walking four batters in his final Triple-A outing.

Before being placed on the disabled list on May 8, Perez was mostly ineffective with the Mets.  He was 1-2 with a 9.97 ERA.  He had allowed 28 hits and 21 walks in only 21 2/3 innings.  He was fooling no one, as opposing batters were hitting .315 against him.

Barring any rainouts or changes in the rotation, Perez could potentially be facing Dodgers righty Hiroki Kuroda on Wednesday.  Kuroda has not fared well against the Mets in his short career.  In two starts, he has an 0-1 record with a 12.00 ERA.  In only six career innings against the Mets, he has allowed 10 runs (eight earned) along with 15 hits and five walks.  Three of the 15 hits were home runs.

If the Mets can continue to beat up on Kuroda, Ollie might be in a perfect situation to pick up a victory.  Of course, he has to get through five innings himself in order to qualify for the win.  It might be easier for the Mets to hit Kuroda than it will be for Ollie to get through the fifth inning.  On Wednesday, we’ll see if Good Ollie or Bad Ollie has returned to the Mets.  Stay tuned.