Ollie might have run out of slack with Mets

MIAMI - The Mets have run out of excuses for Oliver Perez, and now it looks as if the Mets' $36-million headache will be out of the rotation after Friday's implosion in a 7-2 loss to the Marlins. Perez allowed seven runs, including four homers, in 31/3 innings, and Jerry Manuel sounded as if he had seen enough.

"What I have to do is evaluate and then I'll have to sit down with the people that's involved and make a decision," Manuel said when asked about Perez's spot in the rotation. "But I won't do anything until I talk to [Perez] and discuss it."

Manuel was busy talking to Omar Minaya and pitching coach Dan Warthen after the Mets slipped back to .500 (18-18) for the first time since they were 9-9 on April 24. They have lost five of the last six.

The easiest move could be to shift Hisanori Takahashi into the rotation and let Perez work through his problems in low-pressure bullpen situations. Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, who started Friday for Triple-A Buffalo, is another option.

Manuel suggested Thursday that he could go the bullpen route with Perez, but with all the talk after the game about his diminished "arm strength," the disabled list could be a possibility, too.

At his best, Perez used to throw in the range of 94 to 96 mph, but his velocity has been surprisingly low as he comes off knee surgery. On Friday, his fastball was in the high 80s, barely touching 90 on a few occasions.

"Right now, I don't see Ollie's arm strength," Warthen said. "Everybody recognizes that he doesn't have the fastball he's had in the past. In the meantime, we're all working hard to make him a usable pitcher at this time."

On a night with tropical temperatures, a gentle breeze and moderate humidity, Perez proved that all the talk of his being a fair-weather pitcher is nothing but hot air.

Perez served up four home runs, including a pair to Dan Uggla, for the fourth time in his career, but not since 2004 as a member of the Pirates. He also became the first Mets pitcher to allow three homers in one inning since John Maine threw similar batting practice at Dodger Stadium in 2007. Perez is winless in his last eight starts, dating to Aug. 18 of last season, and is 0-4 with a 7.41 ERA in that stretch. In that same period, he has allowed 40 hits and 30 walks in 34 innings. This season, he is 0-3 with a 5.94 ERA.

When asked about Saturday's summit with Manuel, and what that could mean for his future, Perez shrugged.

"That's not my decision," Perez said. "I understand I've had trouble keeping my team in the game, but I'm not going to give up. I'm not going to quit."

The barrage began in the third inning when Uggla hammered a 76-mph curveball into the leftfield seats for a three-run homer that put the Marlins ahead 3-0. In the fourth, Chris Coghlan led off with the first home run by a lefthanded hitter for the Marlins this season. Gaby Sanchez followed with a shot into the leftfield seats. One line-drive out later, Uggla turned on a 90-mph fastball for a home run and a 7-0 lead.

"We'll take everything into account," Manuel said. "We'll cross every T and dot every I."