OUT OF CONTROL

Phillies 5, Mets 2 (PHI: 2-6, NYM: 5-3)

Sometimes Oliver Perez is wild. Wednesday night, Oliver Perez was wild. 7 walks. In 2-AND-TWO-THIRDS INNINGS!! He threw 73 pitches, and just 32 were strikes. Wow. He left having only given up 3 runs, and I'm looking at the play-by-play right now, and it's amazing. After getting two outs in the third, Perez went: single, walk, walk, bases-loaded walk, bases-loaded walk, bases-loaded hit by pitch. Then he was lifted, and Aaron Sele got the Mets out of the jam.

The Mets were able to draw to within 3-2, but couldn't get over the hump. Too bad. Perez had such a nice first outing, he needed to build up some consistency. Now his third outing is that much more important.

I didn't see this game, because I was at a school outing where we watched the Red Sox play the Mariners (can't begin a season much better than Felix Hernandez - a one-hitter Wednesday night, with 6 more K's, following up his 12 K opener). I made it home to see the very end of the Mets. The only other notable happening was David Wright singling in the 9th inning (the only baserunner against Tom Gordon) to extend his hitting streak to 20 games.

SOUTHERN BUREAU JOHNNYMETS.BLOGSPOT.COM PLAYER OF THE GAME: Aaron Sele. I know it's an odd choice, a Met in a losing effort, but it was a big outing for Sele. He seemed to tire when his pitch count got up near 60, but this was his first necessary work of the season. The Mets lost a lot when they lost Darren Oliver, and Sele showed Wednesday night that the Mets have the type of guy who, when they need to go to the bullpen too early, can keep them in the game and give them a chance to come back and win. Sele's numbers: 4-and-a-third innings pitched, 4 hits, 2 walks, 2 earned runs, 2 K's. It was a good outing.

BEAT THE STREAK: Man, I'm having some trouble getting a streak going. Moises Alou pulled an 0-for-4. Though he struggles against the Red Sox, I'll turn to Ichiro on Thursday (since he's in Boston I can keep a close eye on him, that's the rationale) to get me going.