Good timing on that knee injury

Before Saturday's game against the Phillies, Mets' manager Jerry Manuel said that it was Oliver Perez's last chance not to stink. And of course, he stunk, giving up four runs on five hits and six (!) walks in just over two innings. After the game the conversation was about whether to send Oliver Perez to the bullpen or to the minors. As of yesterday, however, the Mets have decided to go with option (c):

The morning after he all but pitched himself out of the Mets' rotation, Oliver Perez walked through the clubhouse with an ice pack on his right knee. Just as he was about to address his murky future, Perez was intercepted by Jay Horwitz, the team's vice president for media relations, who spoke with him in the trainer's room for about 10 minutes.

When he came out, Perez said that his knee had been bothering him all season. Asked which knee, he paused and looked down. The right one, he said.

According to Perez in the New York Times article, he has had the knee issue all season. But get this from Jerry Manuel as quoted at NJ.com: "But when asked if Perez's knee was an issue before Saturday, Manuel said, "I can't say that it was." A Nexis search reveals no mention of Perez's knee prior to the stories that popped up late yesterday.

Hmmm. Sounds to me like an acute case of Isuckitus. Good timing too, as it prevents the Mets from having to make a tough decision about what to do with him for two weeks.