Ollie and the Mental Game

Oliver Perez is struggling--that is a given.

But what is the cause?

Why did his fastball, once consistently in the 93-95 range, top out at 88 mph yesterday?

Why does his curveball, once a kneebuckling breaker that gave lefty's fits, sit out over the plate as if on a tee?

Do we blame the WBC? Did playing for his country affect Ollie's psyche?

Do we blame the lack of a true spring training? Was Ollie in terrible physical shape when he arrived, as Dan Warthen alleged?

Or is it possible that Ollie is just a head case until he gets it going and gains confidence?

That's my theory anyway.

Let's look at last year.

By Day/Month	ERA	W	L	SV	SVO	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG
April	4.03	2	2	0	0	6	6	0	29.0	28	18	13	1	21	26	.257
May	5.58	2	1	0	0	5	5	0	30.2	22	19	19	8	20	24	.206
June	5.28	2	2	0	0	6	6	0	30.2	31	19	18	7	11	26	.263
July	1.38	1	1	0	0	5	5	0	32.2	23	6	5	2	15	36	.197
August	3.52	2	1	0	0	6	6	0	38.1	30	16	15	3	17	34	.219
September	5.79	1	0	0	0	6	6	0	32.2	33	22	21	3	21	34	.260

Early in the season Ollie had a terrible time. He was walking a ton of batters, giving up homeruns in bunches, and he didn't have very good command of his breaking pitches.

Now we know that Rick Peterson got the blame, because right after he was let go, Ollie really turned it on and had a very nice 10 game stretch.

But was Peterson truly to blame, or did something just click with Ollie, giving him confidence?

If it truly is a mental issue and not a physical one, what can the Mets do to get him back on track?

Is sending him down for a few minor league starts the answer?

I would say yes. It's early enough in the season to give him two weeks in AA or AAA to get his pitches worked out and find his spots.

Brian Stokes seems perfectly capable of starting a few games, and Figgy is now back in the mix. He's usually good for 5 or 6 innings of decent baseball, and right now Ollie isn't capable of even that.

It's time Omar--have that heart to hear with Ollie, send him down for a few weeks, and let's get him back on track.

Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint.