Master Index of Archived Threads


Who should start NLCS Game 7?

Who should start NLCS Game 7?

Steve Trachsel	8 votes
Oliver Perez	9 votes
Darren Oliver	3 votes
Roberto Hernandez	0 votes

Yancy Street Gang Oct 18 2006 11:29 PM

I'm not asking for a prediction. If you're Willie Randolph, who do you send to the mound?

TransMonk Oct 18 2006 11:31 PM

I said Perez. He's a starter...Darren's not. Keep Ollie on a short leash and if he gets into any trouble send in Ollie. Why have them switch roles now?

cleonjones11 Oct 18 2006 11:32 PM

Trachsel..with the lesser of two Olivers ready...

Yancy Street Gang Oct 18 2006 11:32 PM

I voted for Darren, because I think he's less likely to get into that early trouble.

Rotblatt Oct 18 2006 11:34 PM

I said Oliver, but I'd go with Perez. Hell, I'd even go with Trachsel if he's looking good while warming up. At this point in the season, I think Willie's gut is as good a way to decide as anything. They all have their upsides and downsides, although personally, I think D. Oliver's a little bit of a safer bet.

cleonjones11 Oct 18 2006 11:34 PM

Willie just said Oliver Perez in the press conference...poop...

Frayed Knot Oct 18 2006 11:35 PM

Perez w/D.O. in reserve because they're more used to those roles than the other way around. Willie, btw, was just aasked in the post-game Q&A; Q: 'who is starting tomorrow and why?' W.R.: Oliver Perez ... because I like him!

Yancy Street Gang Oct 18 2006 11:36 PM

Shit. I think we may regret that. Hope I'm wrong.

cleonjones11 Oct 18 2006 11:37 PM

Me too...all on a short hook.

TransMonk Oct 18 2006 11:38 PM

cleonjones11 wrote: Willie just said Oliver Perez in the press conference...poop... ="Yancy Street Gang"]Shit. I think we may regret that. Hope I'm wrong. I think it's the right call.

Zvon Oct 18 2006 11:38 PM

cleonjones11 wrote: Trachsel..with the lesser of two Olivers ready... Oh Noeeeees. I agree with cleon on something. Trax till a Redbird reaches 2nd and pull him. Who knows? Maybe he can hold em for 3. So its Perez? K, that'll have to do. I have faith in him. I believe he can get it done--keep us in it.

Hillbilly Oct 18 2006 11:39 PM

Frayed Knot wrote: Perez w/D.O. in reserve because they're more used to those roles than the other way around. Willie, btw, was just aasked in the post-game Q&A; Q: 'who is starting tomorrow and why?' W.R.: Oliver Perez ... because I like him! The numbers also suggests that you throw lefties against the cards. This actually sets up pretty well.

Elster88 Oct 18 2006 11:45 PM

I WANT TRACHSEL. OLIVER PEREZ IS GOING TO GET LIT UP. NO WILLIE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Elster88 Oct 18 2006 11:45 PM

ALL OF A SUDDEN WE TRUST OLIVER PEREZ SO MUCH THAT WE'RE STARTING HIM ON 3 DAYS REST?!!?! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!?!

Nymr83 Oct 18 2006 11:48 PM

heres what i'd do: we're "starting" Oliver Perez, right? WRONG, LaRussa submits his lineup card and then notices that Traschel is taking the mound against a lineup designed to face a lefty!

Yancy Street Gang Oct 18 2006 11:48 PM

I'm with Elster. ="Zvon"]Trax till a Redbird reaches 2nd and pull him. That's an absurd idea. What happens if Eckstein leads off the first with a double on the second pitch? You pull Trachsel? If you're going to do that, you'd have to have Oliver or whoever warming up alongside Trachsel before the game. That would really boost Trachsel's confidence, wouldn't it?

TransMonk Oct 18 2006 11:49 PM

Nymr83 wrote: heres what i'd do: we're "starting" Oliver Perez, right? WRONG, LaRussa submits his lineup card and then notices that Traschel is taking the mound against a lineup designed to face a lefty! Genius!

Nymr83 Oct 18 2006 11:53 PM

has that been done before? is there a rule i dont know about preventing it? common sense would prevent it in the regular season as it fucks with your rotation, but now it makes alot of sense if its legal

Edgy DC Oct 18 2006 11:53 PM

Probably make more sense to pull that by "starting" Trax and pulling him after one batter for Darren Oliver.

Zvon Oct 18 2006 11:53 PM

="Yancy Street Gang"]I'm with Elster. ="Zvon"]Trax till a Redbird reaches 2nd and pull him. That's an absurd idea. What happens if Eckstein leads off the first with a double on the second pitch? You pull Trachsel? If you're going to do that, you'd have to have Oliver or whoever warming up alongside Trachsel before the game. That would really boost Trachsel's confidence, wouldn't it? Ha! You took me serious. Trax until trouble is what Im sayin. Get 3, 4, 5..etc--out of Trax-short, short leash. The guy is a veteran and he's what we gots. He can pitch a gem--its possible. Use him. ]we're "starting" Oliver Perez, right? WRONG, LaRussa submits his lineup card and then notices that Traschel is taking the mound against a lineup designed to face a lefty! this would be good except LaRussa will delay the game for a half hour questioning it. (kinda kidden there^)

Nymr83 Oct 18 2006 11:54 PM

either way its a good plan.

Zvon Oct 18 2006 11:54 PM

Edgy DC wrote: Probably make more sense to pull that by "starting" Trax and pulling him after one batter for Darren Oliver. Crafty--I like.

holychicken Oct 19 2006 12:12 AM

Elster88 wrote: ALL OF A SUDDEN WE TRUST OLIVER PEREZ SO MUCH THAT WE'RE STARTING HIM ON 3 DAYS REST?!!?! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!?! It's not that I trust Perez, it is that I have absolutely no faith in Trachsel. First, trachsel got lit up last time he was out. . . he is a shaky emotional pitcher to begin with and I feel that throwing him out there again under the current conditions doesn't play well into his emotions. Second, Perez, despite giving up five runs last time, did pitch pretty well. When the offense gave him the big lead, he went out and threw strikes and gave up a couple of homers because of it. Trachsel probably would have gone out and walked 3 batters and then given up a couple of homers. Last, but not least, I think, for the team and the fans, that Perez is more likely to get everyone pumped up. Trachsel style just saps the energy out of people and we want to take as much advantage of HF advantage as we can. If perez runs into trouble, run Oliver out there.

Zvon Oct 19 2006 12:18 AM

holychicken wrote: Trachsel style just saps the energy out of people and we want to take as much advantage of HF advantage as we can. This is an interesting but true point. Trachsels style/ tempo/nitpicking may not be game 7 start material. That Ill agree with. But I still think--he got us here by keeping us in games- give him the chance to do that. Tell ya what--if they dont (and it looks 100% sure they wont)--if the Mets go to the BIG SHOW....why even take him along? He's dun as a Met if he cant help in game 7. Dun-stick a fork in him.

Edgy DC Oct 19 2006 12:25 AM

The reason not to start Trachsel should be more about lack of faith in his health than about him getting lit up the last time out. This forum has called for a lot of recent decisions to be made based on very recent results, and hasn't been so right.. holychicken wrote: First, trachsel got lit up last time he was out. . . he is a shaky emotional pitcher to begin with and I feel that throwing him out there again under the current conditions doesn't play well into his emotions. He's a shakey emotional pitcher based on what?

Zvon Oct 19 2006 12:39 AM

Emotional-HA! Zvon wrote: He's dun as a Met if he cant help in game 7. Dun-stick a fork in him. And that would be ashame--its not like we just picked him up afew months ago. Hes like the oldest serving Met time wise, I think. He is a major league starting pitcher and has been doing that for us for awhile now. So we just throw him in the dumpster in a game 7? Use him for mop up if the Cards blow us out? Hows he gonna pitch then? (Who cares? Wrong answer.) I dunno--I dont like this, but if its Perez-its Perez. He gets my undivided support and cheers.

holychicken Oct 19 2006 12:41 AM

Edgy DC wrote: He's a shakey emotional pitcher based on what? Based on whatever he took time off for personal reasons, how he pitched last game and how he left last game.

Zvon Oct 19 2006 12:42 AM

holychicken wrote: ="Edgy DC"]He's a shakey emotional pitcher based on what? Based on whatever he took time off for personal reasons, how he pitched last game and how he left last game. He always eats his glove when he comes off the mound...........

Edgy DC Oct 19 2006 12:44 AM

holychicken wrote: ="Edgy DC"]He's a shakey emotional pitcher based on what? Based on whatever he took time off for personal reasons, how he pitched last game and how he left last game. That's highly speculative. He was fine his first time out in LA. HIs early exit was more a result of shakey gloves than shakey feelings.

Zvon Oct 19 2006 12:48 AM

listen--i didnt even want Trax on this team at seasons start. To me, he was a weak link. Gettin long in the tooth. But we kept him and we are where we are. If Trax dont start game 7 (or redeem himself in loooooong relief- maybe he hits afew homers to boot kidding), pack his bags and get him the hell outta there. And I just dont know if thats right. Starting pitchers are not a disposable commodity at anytime, no less 4 these Mets in this post season.

holychicken Oct 19 2006 01:03 AM

Edgy DC wrote: That's highly speculative. He was fine his first time out in LA. HIs early exit was more a result of shakey gloves than shakey feelings. True, it is speculative. . . however, isn't that we are doing now? Speculating who will be a better starter? Even if you want to throw out that point, I still like Oliver. The team seemed a lot more jazzed when he was out there (maybe that was partially because of the offensive explosion) and considering that Trachsel has pitched in exactly one more post season game than Oliver (1.1 less innings, I should point out) it is not like he really has experience on his side.

Yancy Street Gang Oct 19 2006 08:03 AM

My argument for Darren Oliver is that I'd prefer the guy who pitched six scoreless innings and has four days rest to the guy with the "stuff" but the shakey outing and only three days rest. I know Darren Oliver hasn't started since 2004. But was his appearance in Game 3 all that different from a start? He came in in the second inning instead of the first. And he pitched six innings. I suspect we'll see him tonight by the third inning. And I hope it's not too late by then.

smg58 Oct 19 2006 08:25 AM

I wouldn't be surprised if the Mets ask for two innings apiece from Perez, Trachsel, and Oliver. Certainly the leash is very tight. I don't see a good reason to start Perez -- it's short rest, and if the Mets didn't score 12 on Sunday we'd be talking about how poorly he pitched, not how well. On the other hand, I'm guessing Willie doesn't want Perez in for long, and that he'd be happy with once through the lineup without a run scored. We don't need six from one guy. Right or wrong, Willie's rep as a manager is likely to be made or unmade tonight. Every move will be second-guessed if it backfires, and he'll be hailed as a genius if things work out. To be fair, none of his options look really good right now, and I hope people remember that.

cooby Oct 19 2006 08:27 AM

Trachsel was warming up last night...

Yancy Street Gang Oct 19 2006 08:41 AM

My hunch is that tonight's game is one they'll be talking about for years to come. (I'd recommend you tape or TiVo it in case it turns out well and you want to save it for posterity.) Both teams have their backs to the walls, so both will be in desperation mode. I think the lead will change hands a few times, and there will be some unique decisions made. Some will work and some won't. The Game 7 Rehash thread should be an interesting one. Of course, it may go like 1988 NLCS Game 7. One team jumps to an early lead and takes the other team out of the game. But my guess is that it's going to be a real battle.

HahnSolo Oct 19 2006 08:44 AM

Perez is getting a really big benefit of the doubt to let him go on 3 days rest after his last outing...the kind of benefit of the doubt Trax would never get from Willie. I think that's unfair...and short-sighted on his part. Wasn't it Willie, just a week and a half ago, who went all out with his bullpen to win a game 3 in LA so that he wouldn't have to throw Perez out there in game 4? I said it in another thread, and I'll repeat it here: all year long Willie has been saying the same thing: "these are my guys, this is the way we do things." Bringing a 3-13 starter back on 3 days rest when your 15-game winner is on full rest goes against that. and to the point that Trax saps the energy out of the Home Field advantage...he--and the crowd--were just fine before a packed house at Shea when they clinched the NL East.

sharpie Oct 19 2006 09:31 AM

I think Trachsel taking himself out of Game 3 rankles Willie. I don't really see why starting a lefty, however, makes the most sense for the Cards as their lineup is righty heavy. I woulda started Trachsel but I think we've seen the last of him as a Met and I wouldn't be too surprised to see him left offa the WS roster if we get there.

Yancy Street Gang Oct 19 2006 09:34 AM

="sharpie"]I think we've seen the last of him as a Met and I wouldn't be too surprised to see him left offa the WS roster if we get there. Me neither. I think the conventional wisdom is that Orlando Hernandez would replace Trachsel. I'm not so sure that's the best idea. I'd rather see him replace Perez. But of course, if the Mets do have a World Series roster, then Perez might very well earn his spot on it tonight.

Edgy DC Oct 19 2006 09:35 AM

Listen, the raine tooketh, and the rain gaveth us back, but I think we all learned our lesson to carry five starters.

86-Dreamer Oct 19 2006 09:39 AM

HahnSolo wrote: Perez is getting a really big benefit of the doubt to let him go on 3 days rest after his last outing...the kind of benefit of the doubt Trax would never get from Willie. I think that's unfair...and short-sighted on his part. Wasn't it Willie, just a week and a half ago, who went all out with his bullpen to win a game 3 in LA so that he wouldn't have to throw Perez out there in game 4? I said it in another thread, and I'll repeat it here: all year long Willie has been saying the same thing: "these are my guys, this is the way we do things." Bringing a 3-13 starter back on 3 days rest when your 15-game winner is on full rest goes against that. and to the point that Trax saps the energy out of the Home Field advantage...he--and the crowd--were just fine before a packed house at Shea when they clinched the NL East. I voted Trachsel for the reasons you state. But if Willie sees something in Trachsel - physically or mentally - that tells him that he is not up to the task, then I trust him. He has proven that he knows his players well.

Yancy Street Gang Oct 19 2006 09:51 AM

="Edgy DC"]Listen, the raine tooketh, and the rain gaveth us back, but I think we all learned our lesson to carry five starters. Excellent point. So who would you bump to make room for Orlando Hernandez? Anderson Hernandez would be a good pick. I'm also thinking I'd like to get DiFelice on the roster. It would make Ramon Castro available as a pinch-hitter. The Mets bench has been pretty thin.

Iubitul Oct 19 2006 09:58 AM

If game 7 is an indication of what Willie thinks of Trachsel, I wouldn't be surprised to see Trachsel dropped.

Edgy DC Oct 19 2006 10:07 AM

Anderson Hernandez would be a great pick. If the Mets feel Trachsel can't answer the bell, then Dave Williams is also available to be added. But...it's a decision for after today. A lot depends on the relative health of Trachsel and Cliff Floyd. And I know, I'm beating the Milledge drum too much, as well as over-specializing, but he might be worth carrying simply because he's a better bet to get on base against Kenny Rogers than Michael Tucker. And that may be the first post-season roster choice ever made to counter the Kenny Rogers effect. Has Milledge gone home?

HahnSolo Oct 19 2006 10:10 AM

I thought I heard on FAN that Milledge has been working out in Port St. Lucie. If true, it lends credibility to the idea that he'd be activated for a World Series (if necessary).

Centerfield Oct 19 2006 11:01 AM

I think starting Oliver Perez is a big mistake. Not only is he susceptible to walks, he's susceptible to the long ball. Going down 2 or 3 runs early may be too much tonight. As much as I don't like him, I think Trachsel is your best option tonight, on a short leash with Darren Oliver warm and ready. Next out of the pen should be Tom Glavine.

Gwreck Oct 19 2006 11:02 AM

HahnSolo wrote: I thought I heard on FAN that Milledge has been working out in Port St. Lucie. If true, it lends credibility to the idea that he'd be activated for a World Series (if necessary). He's part of a group of players who are being kept ready there in case of injury. Also in St. Lucie are Dave Williams, Brian Bannister, and Heath Bell.

Edgy DC Oct 19 2006 11:14 AM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Oct 19 2006 11:23 AM

I've got a problem with short leashes in a game seven --- not with their use, but with the way they're exercised by managers. A guy gets in trouble.and a manager is programmed that their long man/their swing man/their erstwhile starter is the guy they turn to earliest. "No, no, no," say I. Yes, if your starter gets in trouble, you'll certainly need an alternative guy with a starter-type durability to get you to the seventh or so, but be willing to first send out a short guy to put out the fire at hand. So if you want to pull the starter with two on and one out in the second or third inning, first let a Mota, a Bradford, a Feliciano put that fire out, and maybe throw another inning if he's been economical and the matchups work out, and then turn to your long man. Treat that second- or third-inning crisis like you'd otherwise treat a sixth- or seventh-inning crisis. It's game seven.

Gwreck Oct 19 2006 11:18 AM

I believe the "need a few innings of really good relief" guy tonight is Aaron Heilman. He's barely (2.1 innings) pitched this series and is fairly well rested. I bet he could give 3 innings if necessary.

smg58 Oct 19 2006 11:18 AM

86-Dreamer wrote: I voted Trachsel for the reasons you state. But if Willie sees something in Trachsel - physically or mentally - that tells him that he is not up to the task, then I trust him. He has proven that he knows his players well. Excellent point. I also voted for Trachsel, but Randolph doesn't like to make hasty changes to his lineup or rotation, and if he does change something he has his reasons. We ultimately have to trust Willie's instincts on this one.

Yancy Street Gang Oct 19 2006 11:38 AM

Edgy DC wrote: Treat that second- or third-inning crisis like you'd otherwise treat a sixth- or seventh-inning crisis. It's game seven. I've been thinking that very same thing. Too many times, managers get too stuck on the number of the inning.

86-Dreamer Oct 19 2006 12:09 PM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: ="Edgy DC"]Treat that second- or third-inning crisis like you'd otherwise treat a sixth- or seventh-inning crisis. It's game seven. I've been thinking that very same thing. Too many times, managers get too stuck on the number of the inning. Willie's choice of Mota last night to face the LH Duncan gives me a lot of CAHNfidence that he will go against convential wisdom when calling on the pen.

Johnny Dickshot Oct 19 2006 12:26 PM

I'm of course glad we got to Game 7 for many reasons but one was just to see how a team that's essentially without 3 of its regular starters and with the other 2 having pitched in the prior two nights would go about it. This has been a fascinating time for the Mets. My thoughts on who should start are said by 86 above: I'd have picked Trax but the fact he's not being selected by Willie despite his being the most rested and most experienced suggests something is going on behind the scenes to have eroded a LOT of confidence, even for a so-so performance. That said, Perez IMO is clearly a better choice to start than Oliver, if only because he's a starter, Oliver other than a credible mop-up man has not been particularly strong or experienced in any games the Mets have won this year; and if talent were bullets, Perez would kill a lot more people than Oliver. If the over-under on pitchers used by the Mets in this game is 5 I'm taking the over. What can stop that and make us all breathe a lot easier is a strong offense and tight tight tight tight defense. Can't wait.

Yancy Street Gang Oct 19 2006 12:48 PM

I really do think that, win or lose, tonight's game is going to be one for the ages. I just hope it doesn't go 16 innings!

Centerfield Oct 19 2006 12:54 PM

Johnny Dickshot wrote: What can stop that and make us all breathe a lot easier is a strong offense and tight tight tight tight defense. Can't wait. I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that I am not going to feel clam all night.

TheOldMole Oct 19 2006 12:56 PM

I went with Perez, but I changed my mind. Trachsel.

Yancy Street Gang Oct 19 2006 12:57 PM

LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Oops, I thought for a minute there I thought I was Zvon. I agree, CF. Not too much clamminess in the forecast.

MFS62 Oct 19 2006 12:59 PM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: Not too much clamminess in the forecast. I disagree. I bet more than one tush will be tighter than a clam tonight. The APPFs will be up in the 9.7 range. Later

sharpie Oct 19 2006 01:03 PM

What I'd like to see: 3 innings for Perez, 3 for Oliver, 2 for Heilman, 1 for Wagner. What I think we'll see: something other than that.

MFS62 Oct 19 2006 01:06 PM

I'd like to see 9 from Perez, in a Met win laugher. I'm getting too old for another nail biter. But, like Sharpie, I think we'll see something other than that. Later

Edgy DC Oct 19 2006 01:10 PM

The matchups will be fascinating. The Mets have the better hitting, but the Cardinals have the better hitting depth. The Cards have the better pitching, but the Mets have the better pitching depth.

Centerfield Oct 19 2006 01:20 PM

For those with ESPN Insider, Rob Neyer has an article calling Perez the worst Game 7 starter ever.

Edgy DC Oct 19 2006 01:22 PM

For those with CTRL+C, please enlighten the rest of us.

Centerfield Oct 19 2006 01:25 PM

I don't have Insider. I was hoping you did.

metirish Oct 19 2006 01:28 PM

I have it.... ] Mets going with worst Game 7 starter everBy Rob Neyer ESPN Insider Archive Oliver Perez, huh? One can hardly blame Willie Randolph. If he didn't pitch Oliver Perez, he'd have to pitch Darren Oliver, who hasn't started a game in more than two years. If he didn't pitch Darren Oliver, he'd have to pitch Steve Trachsel, who's got an owie on his leg, and his teammates think he bailed out last time. If he didn't pitch Steve Trachsel, he'd have to pitch Aaron Heilman, who's thrown only a dozen pitches since last Friday and clearly isn't ready to do something he did for many years before the Mets decided he couldn't do it. PerezWhen we learn that Oliver Perez is going to start a game that's going to determine the National League championship, we can't help but notice that this is the same Oliver Perez who went 3-13 this season and racked up a 6.55 ERA. It's true that Perez won Game 4 of the NLCS. It's also true that Perez's ERA in Game 4 was even higher than his ERA during the rest of 2006. If Oliver Perez has rediscovered the Oliver Perez we thought might become a star, he's doing a bang-up job of keeping it to himself. We also can't help but wonder whether Perez might be the unlikeliest -- OK, let's be honest here: the worst -- Game 7 starter ever. So how does Perez measure up? I know you're busy and stuff, so I won't make you wait for an answer until the end of today's column. I'll make you wait a bit longer, though. First, you're going to find out how much work went into this little study, because the research took a few hours and I want extra credit this time around. Of course, there are few things less interesting than somebody else's data entry, so I'll just tell you that I identified every pitcher who started an all-or-nothing game in a best-of-seven (or best-of-nine) postseason series, and then I entered his wins and his losses and his inning pitched and his earned runs allowed for that season, and then I entered the same stats for his career. Then I did some sorting, which quickly led to an inescapable conclusion. Perez is almost certainly the worst pitcher who's ever started a Game 7. There are 94 pitchers in the study. Perez won three games this season, which places him 94th on the list. His winning percentage this season was .188, which is 94th on the list. His career winning percentage is .411, which is 94th on the list. His career ERA is 4.67, which is 93rd on the list. Umm, did I mention there are 94 pitchers in the study? Perez's best showing is in career wins; he's got 30, which puts him in the 79th slot, ahead of a bunch of rookies (more on them later, if you're still hanging around). Perez is one of only two Game 7 starters who won fewer than eight games during the season. The other was Brooklyn's Hal Gregg, who started Game 7 in the '47 World Series after going 4-5 with a 5.88 ERA during the season. (In fact, one might reasonably argue that Gregg, who won only three games after 1947, and whose only big season came during the war, actually belongs slightly ahead of Perez in our rankings. But we'll leave him at No. 2 because it makes for a "better," more topical column.) Since I did all that research and you're still hanging around, here are a few somewhat random notes about Game 7 starters: • The "average" Game 7 pitcher went 16-8 during the regular season, with a 3.31 ERA; in other words, with a small adjustment for context he was Chris Carpenter, circa 2006. • By my count, nine rookies started a Game 7; they went just 2-3 but posted a solid 3.43 ERA. • In 1952, Dodgers rookie Joe Black won 15 games during the season despite starting only twice, then started Games 1, 4 and 7 in the World Series. He pitched decently or better in all three games, but won just the first of them. • Here's your bit of weird trivia for the day: Don Larsen started two Game 7s for the Yankees, which was two more than Whitey Ford started. • Most common number of regular-season wins for a Game 7 starter? Twenty, and 15. Ten pitchers -- well, nine, because Bret Saberhagen gets counted twice in 1985, because he started two Game 7s -- won 20 on the nose, and 10 won 15. • Roger Clemens leads the way with four Game 7 starts; tied for second place, with three apiece, are notable big-game pitchers Bob Gibson and John Smoltz. And finally, in chronological order, a few names that might surprise you: rookie Hugh Bedient (1912), Curly Ogden (who pitched to only two batters, in a bit of 1924-style gamesmanship), Elden Auker (1934), Johnny Kucks (who pitched a shutout in 1956), rookie Joe Magrane (1987), Atlee Hammaker (1987) and Mark Redman (only three years ago!). SuppanIf you're a Mets fan, I hope you're still reading, because I do have one shiny ray of hope. Remember Perez's 4.67 career ERA, 93rd on the list? Well, Nos. 92 and 94 happen to be occupied by the same pitcher … and that same pitcher happens to be starting for the St. Louis Cardinals tonight. That's right, folks: No. 92 is Jeff Suppan's 4.60 career ERA (through 2006), and No. 94 is Suppan's 4.80 career ERA (through 2004). That said, here's a shiny ray for Cardinals fans: When Suppan started Game 7 of the 2004 NLCS, he pitched six strong innings and beat the Astros 4-2. He must have forgotten he wasn't supposed to pitch well. Maybe he will again. And maybe Perez will, too. My prediction: a double no-hitter. Senior writer Rob Neyer writes for Insider three times most weeks during the season. You can reach him via rob.neyer@dig.com, and his new book, "Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders," is available everywhere.

Rotblatt Oct 19 2006 01:41 PM

Why on earth did Neyer only look at W-L record and ERA? He couldn't have even used adjusted ERA?

metsmarathon Oct 19 2006 01:56 PM

wow. i expect better from neyer.

dinosaur jesus Oct 19 2006 01:57 PM

Everybody but Maine is available tonight. How about one inning for each of them, and save Trachsel for extras.

Nymr83 Oct 19 2006 04:22 PM

there was a column in the Post today talking about Perez and Hal Gregg as the worst pitchers to ever start a game 7, no mention of Suppan there though.

Elster88 Oct 20 2006 01:00 AM

Elster88 wrote: I WANT TRACHSEL. OLIVER PEREZ IS GOING TO GET LIT UP. NO WILLIE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Well then. Why do I keep questioning Willie? He obviously knows his team and what he's doing. And I definitely don't, at least on this one. Great game Mr. Perez. I was screaming Ollie at the top of my lungs with the rest of them.

Yancy Street Gang Oct 20 2006 09:41 AM

I too will happily admit to being wrong about Oliver Perez. I thought it was going to be a bloodbath, but he got the job done, big time. He can go into the winter proud of himself. I hope we see a lot more of last night's version of Oliver Perez.