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News: Perez DL’d, Niese To Start Friday
By Mike Nichols - May 6, 2009 10:22 pm

Oliver Perez will be placed on the 15-day disabled list with patella tendinitis, according to Omar Minaya, who talked with reporters following the game.

“I felt like I could continue to pitch, but I want to get healthy and I want to feel better,” Perez told reporters following tonight’s game.  “It’s a good decision, because I want to be healthy all season long and try to help my team.”

Taking Perez’s spot on the 25-man roster will be Jonathan Niese, who will make his first start of 2009 on Friday.

Niese is 0-2 with a 6.55 ERA in five starts for Triple-A Buffalo this season.

101 Responses to “News: Perez DL’d, Niese To Start Friday”

  1. Dirtysanchez says:

    Shocker…..

    • The Stache says:

      not to call absolute bs but I was at the game today early enough today to catch warmups and bp. Ollie was throwing fine not grimacing and was snagging flyballs in center. Some knee injury

    • The Slider says:

      Does this organization have any clue what it’s doing? I mean, that question must now be asked and answered.

      • Xavier22 says:

        You can ask all you want, but they ain’t never gonna ‘fess up to the obvious. The front office doesn’t have a pair of balls among the whole lot of ‘em.

  2. We Were Throwbacks says:

    YES!

  3. We Were Throwbacks says:

    This is huge

  4. Super King says:

    Come on Niese, earn that spot

  5. gipperPDX says:

    No shock here. Still, I would like to have seen Tkahashi get the start – love what he gave us the other day, and isn’t Niese stinking it up in the minors? Figgy instead? Oh well….anybody is better than Ollie.

    • MetsFan4Decades says:

      Bad April for Niese but went 6 innings, 1 run in his last start.

      • gipperPDX says:

        Good to know. Plus, I guess Takahashi’s arm isn;t stretched out.

        PS: how can a fan for decades have the BLACK logo as an avatar???? Mets fans are true to the orange and blue!

        • MetsFan4Decades says:

          hahaha – ’cause I like the black. Always did. Probably a female thing (yes, I’m female).
          It’s tiny, but it’s got the orange and blue….

          • MetsFan4Decades says:

            I’ve got both the blue and the black warm up jackets. I know most guys on this site always complain when they take the field with those black jerseys…..

  6. MetsFan4Decades says:

    O.K.
    If Ollie is on the DL, I don’t mind seeing what Niese has got Friday against the Pirates.

    Hope that is not a phantom injury. If he’s got some knee problems, then maybe that is the reason he’s been so God awful this year and his velocity is down some. Get him healthy, see if that makes a difference.

  7. 2009_believe says:

    IF this is a real injury then at least it explains why he sucked so much

  8. Wilford says:

    I’d prefer Figgy but at least the cancer is gone for a few weeks.

    • npanzeca says:

      Ollie has struggled but hes hardly a cancer.

      • My Favorite Baseball Squadron says:

        To steal a phrase from the stubbed finger lady for the smokers quitline commercials…”maimed, yes I’m maimed from watching Oliver Perez”.

        • GravediggerHebner says:

          Every season the Mets have one commercial that forces me to change the channel quickly each time it comes on. This season it’s ‘finger lady’ replacing ‘breathing hole guy.’

          • Nealosaurus says:

            For the last 3 freakin’ years, for me anyway, it was those horrible, HORRIBLE Guiseppe Franco commercials with Gary Busey for ProCede. I swear there was one on every break… “Men, stop hiding your problem and do somethin about it!”

            • JarvisJanesAddiction says:

              Have Guissepe Franco replace Ollie. I hear he’s a lefty, has a nasty “cutter”, and no one can hit a Pro-Cede covered ball!

          • The Stache says:

            I can’t believe they actually the anti-smoking ad on the jumbovision at the game last night….it was the one where a guy in a medical gown kept getting told he has a 1000 different diseases. Is that really necessary?

        • Tidewater says:

          LMFAO!!!!!

          • Nealosaurus says:

            Every once in a while, if you were lucky, the producers at SNY would mess up and you would be treated to it not once but TWICE in a break! Wow!

  9. Gland says:

    Hmm. Niese hasn’t been pitching well in AAA. But I didn’t really want Kawakami to start either. I’m not ready to annoint him after a a few good innings in one game.

  10. My Favorite Baseball Squadron says:

    The only thing that surprises me about this decision is that they didn’t wait until the trip out west and then do it at 3 AM EST after an Ollie win.

  11. docgoodens8ball says:

    Is anybody really stunned by this news?

  12. Dirtysanchez says:

    well….hasnt niese been bad in AAA?

  13. njmatt says:

    Hahahaha! Patella tendonitis??

    What a wimp (I want to use harsher words). Just get a cho-pat.

    http://www.cho-pat.com/

    Seriously, why would you give a guy who goes on the DL for runner’s knee a 3 year contract?

    • njmatt says:

      I’m sorry tendinitis…quick type job.

      Seriously, I think anyone who does moderate amounts of exercise nurses some form of patella tendinitis.

  14. dkallert says:

    I wonder if Ollie know’s which knee is “hurt”

    • The Slider says:

      LOL

    • The Slider says:

      I was laughing so hard I forgot to add that Ollie already answered that question. When he was asked at a recent press conference which knee it was, he had to look down at his knees to see which one the bandage was on before he correctly answered “the right” (which is, of course, not his push-off leg, which is more significant).

  15. therealsince86 says:

    Actually surprised that Elmer Fud D. did not get the call. Niese does make sense in the fact that he has options. At least it’s the Pirates.

    • GravediggerHebner says:

      I haven’t seen the Bucs yet this year but don’t they have a significant number of LH hitters in their lineup? I think Morgan, McLouth, LaRoche and Doumit are LH, could be wrong. Bottom line as you said, it IS the Pirates.

  16. njmatt says:

    Also, one more addition, if it was bad enough that he couldn’t pitch or do any exercise, you wouldn’t have seen him walking around the last few days without a limp. Patella tendinitis HURTS when it’s bad enough to keep you sitting. Otherwise it’s manageable.

    Personally I’m glad, never wanted to resign the guy in the first place. Hopefully Niese steps up and claims Ollie’s spot.

    • therealsince86 says:

      Your glad? You never want to see him again? I did not want him either but I hope he comes back and makes Omar look like a friggin genius myself.

      • MetsFan4Decades says:

        +1

      • njmatt says:

        Love it when people misconstrue what you say and put words in your mouth.

        I’m fairly sure you don’t see the words: “I never want to see him again” in my post, but thanks for trying!

        What I’m glad about is that they aren’t keeping him around while he struggles. In the past 5+ years, the Mets would generally let a guy who struggles have 8-10 more starts before they even consider a change.

        Look, I was against signing him, but as I always tell people: I would love nothing more than to eat my words.

        Once again, thanks for trying, but you fail.

  17. nyj0126 says:

    Placing Ollie on the DL doesn’t shock me, but calling up Niese, considering he’s not doing well does. I wouldn’t have minded seeing Takahashi get a turn. Or Dillon Gee. Or Figgy again.

  18. mouserdz says:

    It’s obvious the Perez is not hurt. Is there a reason why the mets need to lie and put him on the DL? Why not just send him to the minors.

    • therealsince86 says:

      Hopefully he IS hurt. But yes there is a reason. He can turn down the demotion. This way he can always say that it was a DL. Looks a whole lot better on Boras’s resume.

      • wnymetsfan says:

        Also as a vet I believe they can only keep him down there for 30 days. By placing him on the DL he can work on the side, then go to St Lucie to work on things and pitch in simulated games before making rehab starts in the minors. This actually gives him more time in the minors to work stuff out.

  19. njmatt says:

    I think it was last night or the night before, Gary (or a beat writer) had a really good point…do the Mets really want to let Perez out of their sights again?

    Last time they did was the WBC.

    When the Pirates sent him down before trading him to the Mets he didn’t put in his work in the minors and apparently just talked about how much money he was making. Well, he’s making more now.

    I was all for sending him to the minors, let him fix his issues and I don’t have to hear about him, but I wonder if it really IS the best move.

    • therealsince86 says:

      That report is pure hearsay.

    • GravediggerHebner says:

      It’s a valid point, but this time he’ll be with Met organization coaches following Met organization plans every step of the way, unlike the WBC.

      • ericloz says:

        They had to get the FBI to remove Rick Peterson out of the Witness Protection Program and wait for the plastic surgery to heal before bringing him in under an assumed name to fix Ollie again.

  20. losmets57 says:

    Test.

  21. QnsNative718 says:

    test

  22. MainStMets says:

    heres a big shock, this one reeks as bad as wang’s weak hips lol

    lets go niese, hope this works out well for him

    could OP become the met version of carl pavano lol

  23. therealsince86 says:

    Ok Krunk just said it hurts him to say that Johan is an athlete because he is a pitcher. I wonder …… insert punchline here.

    • therealsince86 says:

      And Steve Phillips is an idiot.

    • GravediggerHebner says:

      Kruk was a good hitter, but most every stock car driver is a better athlete than he was.

      • therealsince86 says:

        Now days for sure. Have you seen those stock car drivers lately? They evidently have started to give a damn.

        • GravediggerHebner says:

          Yeah, they get more endorsement money if they aren’t fat slobs. Plus, handling the G-forces from driving almost 200mph for 4 hours straight requires a certain amount of strength and endurance.

          • Nealosaurus says:

            As much as F1 has stunk lately, those Nascar drivers still have nothin’ on their F1 counterparts. Just a side note…

    • Dirtysanchez says:

      as much as kruck is an idiot i give him credit on one exchange with another idiot in steve phillips. The topic was run support for johan. Steve said it is a “subconscious” effort on behalf of the hitters as they are stitting in the dugout watching johan do his thing. Kruck said that is impossible as they are either all in the dugout or when johan is pitching they are on the field. Steve continued to fight his point but kruk just made him look more stupid by the second….

  24. grotesmask says:

    Didn’t Mo Vaughn have a patella problem?

    • ericloz says:

      That was a “Paella” problem not Patella problem.

      It was part of his see-food diet

  25. catlos delado says:

    hope this is the real cause as to why ollie’s been so terrible. get healty, and come back and pitch well for us again (with more jekyll and far less hyde…).

  26. The_Voice says:

    ***** THE VOICE *****
    LOG VER: 4.0-A

    === Conspiracy Theory??? ===

    Ok so Oliver Perez is sent to the dl
    last night due to an MRI revealing
    he has Patellar tendinitis which long
    story short means he has inflamation
    of the Tendon.

    I am sure many are happy just to see
    Oliver Perez go away for a while
    (out of sight out of mind)
    to coin a phrase.

    Many feel this is just a phantom Injury.
    To allow him to get his mechanics straight.
    I myself am leaning that way.
    It definitely seemed to conveniently
    come out of nowhere.

    On the surface this does explain a lot
    his lack of velocity most of all.

    But you have to ask what if it’s a legit
    injury?

    If it is, doesn’t that open up more questions?

    For example,
    Perez was quoted as saying he 1st felt
    discomfort back in Spring Training.

    If that’s true when did the Mets 1st know?

    If he felt it back in Spring was the WBC to blame?

    Did his lack of preparation have anything to do with it?

    Did the Mets know and chose to keep pitching him
    regardless? I find it hard to believe they would risk
    further injury of their newly signed pitcher.

    Did Perez hide his discomfort and therefore
    it took till now for Mets to finally do an MRI?

    Hopefully some of these questions will be answered.

    In the end though like that Linkin Park song
    “it doesn’t really matter”.

    Just get better Ollie.

  27. stickguy says:

    If he is sore, then it isn’t a phantom injury.

    The question maybe is whether it is severe enough to require the DL, not whether he has an injury.

    Guys play hurt al the time, but if Ollie is having performance issues, it makes sense to put him on the DL to treat the problem, even though he could theoretically pitch with it.

  28. zen says:

    Nice win tonight.

    Good idea to give Niese a start against the Pirates line-up in Citi Field (dimensions)

  29. Anthony-n-VA says:

    he is pitching well, just been unlucky and bad defense behind him.

  30. thekid024 says:

    Not sure why the farce about moving him to the bullpen. They should have done this to begin with. His velocity is down so I would think there probably is something wrong, a move to the bullpen wasn’t going to help that.

  31. Caligula says:

    I think Ollie’s pitching mechanics are pretty rough on him. This isn’t a surprise to me. Get used to this. I wish it wasn’t this way.

    Johan Santana, Tim Lincecum both have the best mechanics in baseball..

    Jake Peavy can be problematic like ollie..

    But at least he isn’t Kerry Wood or Chris Carpenter. They’re days are numbered in baseball.

    Believe it or not, Oliver Perez’s cousin down Tennessee has MAJOR potential.

    • wnymetsfan says:

      Lincecum and best mechanics should not be used together. He has one of the more violent deliveries and is an arm issue waiting to happen.

  32. cousinrk says:

    I don’t see what’s the big deal, they took a few days to think about it and made the right decision. Let it go

    • The Slider says:

      I don’t think so. I think the “right decision” would have been to send Ollie down to AAA to catch up for the time he blew during the WBC.

      To me, it’s either one of two things with Ollie: either he’s really injured in which case there should have been no talk about the bullpen or AAA; or he’s out of shape/his mechanic are f’ed up, in which case he should just agree to go down, work hard and get himself back in shape for the rest of the season.

  33. The Slider says:

    I can’t seem to make sense of this whole thing – and there may be a very good reason for that: the Mets organization/management has no idea what it’s doing. I suspect that this was the big “compromise” that Boras reached with Omar. Boras told Omar that Ollie would refuse to go down the minors, which – initially caused Omar to put him in the BP. But doing that made little sense because (1) Ollie was allegedly injured (if the injury was the cause of his woes, then going to the BP is not the answer; and (2) Ollie would be a disaster coming out of the pen and there was no way Jerry was going to trust him in the later innings in a close game.

    Hence, Ollie to the DL. But like I’ve said recently, I blame the Mets for this whole mess by allowing Ollie to play in the WBC un-monitored. The Mets should have made that a condition in their contract with Ollie or simply told him “No, you can’t play. Be hear in February ready to work hard and get ready to earn your contract.”

  34. reillys5 says:

    i think when omar said petella tendinitis he meant “pretentinitis”

  35. deelee says:

    Nelson Figueroa anyone? Oh wait, oops.

  36. ostar says:

    I think you guys are missing the point here. If they sent Oliver to the bullpen and gave Takahashi the spot start, Ollie would know it was just that – a spot start. He could lounge around for 10 days or so, fully knowing he would be thrown back into the rotation, because Takahashi is clearly not the long term answer here. Similarily, if they sent him down the the minors, and gave the spot start to Gee or Figgy, it’d be a one-shot deal. However, since they DL’ed him and gave his starts to Niese, there is now a ton of pressure on Oliver. Niese is their golden child, not a 35 year old spot starter. The rotation spot is there for the taking. It now pushes Oliver to bust his butt, get into shape, put extra time in during practice, and reclaim his spot – or else he may not get it back.

    • darknova says:

      Agreed. I just hope Ollie actually processes what this means for him and can feel the pressure to push himself to get back to a good spot for the team.

      I’m definitely hesitant to call up Niese this early in the season, I’d like to see him get some more seasoning in Buffalo. That being said, I’d love to see him grab that rotation spot and give Ollie a run for his money.

  37. THANK YOU!

    Putting him in the BP was sickening

    • darknova says:

      Someone joked yesterday that, given the number of pitches Putz-Rod threw on Wednesday, they could use Ollie as a closer for last night. I nearly went into a seizure, it actually broke my brain to hear that comment! :)

      He belonged on the DL or extended ST from the start of this debacle.

  38. therealsince86 says:

    Why are we making such a big deal about IF there is an ijury or not. I hope to hell there is. If not then it’s not like the Mets were the first or will be the last to make one up.

    • darknova says:

      I don’t really care what Ollie’s problem is, I just want him away from the team for a while to work on it. If it’s an actual injury: get healthy and focus on coming back strong. If it’s all mental: get your act together OIlie!

    • The Stache says:

      Because the Mets ALWAYS handle major issues the stupidest way possible. If you want to DL because of knee problems, maybe he shouldn’t be doing running drills, warming up, having no problems landing on a throw, and snagging flyballs in center.

  39. therealsince86 says:

    Something else to think about. The ONLY pitchers that were pitching well at AAA last week were the old men let by Fossum, Elmer and Figgy IN THAT ORDER. Niese was NOT pitching well. Thus the best option is to leave Takawhatever alone and give him the start. Now Niese seems to have turned the corner a little in his last start and gives them someone that they do not have to make a 40 man change for and has options. Thus Ollie goes down. Does not seem that hard to understand.

    • Dirtysanchez says:

      im sure the decision was based on the fact niese has options and they can send him down as soon as ollie gets off the DL w/o an emotional blog about it ;p

  40. Constnza81V2.0 says:

    I’m sure the 5 strong innings thrown by Redding last night have a lot to do with this. With Perez on the DL and Niese in the rotation, the Mets can send Niese down without incident once Redding gets another tune-up start.

  41. UnLeashTheReyes says:

    Why not just start figgy? The guy has been pretty good. It’s the Pirates..you know figgy will give you a solid start. i can trust tha figgy will give us around 5-6 innings 2-4 runs, and i’ll take that. why risk it with neise and have him get shelled. he’s not exactly on fire.

  42. Tommy2cat says:

    Tonya Harding & the baby’s father is looking for work, Yo.