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Struggling Perez opposes rookie Reyes in Game Four of NLCS

Oct 15, 2006 - 1:33 PM NY Mets at St. Louis 8:15 pm EDT National League Championship Series Cardinals lead, 2-1

ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- One terrific outing by Oliver Perez can do a great deal to help negate a season of frustration.

Perez gets the call Sunday for the suddenly-sluggish New York Mets, who look to even the National League Championship Series on Sunday when they face the St. Louis Cardinals.

After winning eight consecutive contests dating to the end of the regular season, the Mets have lost their last two games. They failed to hold a three-run lead in Friday's Game Two before managing just three hits in Saturday's 5-0 loss.

Starter Steve Trachsel left the game in the second inning with a bruised right thigh, leaving the Mets without three of their front-line pitchers. Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez suffered calf injuries prior to the playoffs and Martinez also needed shoulder surgery.

With so much a stake, the Mets are giving Perez (3-11, 6.55 ERA) his most important career start. He makes his playoff debut in a season that saw him go 2-10 for the Pittsburgh Pirates before he was traded to New York in late-July.

The 25-year-old Perez dropped eight of his last nine decisions after May 28 and has not seen action since September 26. He was 1-1 against the Cardinals this season.

"(The postseason is) the same baseball, just a little more pressure," Perez said. "You just have to play baseball and don't think about, I did bad this or we lost or something. You just have to play because everybody knows, one team is going to win and one team is going to lose, so you just have to prepare to do everything you can."

One positive aspect in Saturday's game for the Mets was the relief performance of Darren Oliver, who yielded just three hits in six scoreless innings to keep the rest of the bullpen corps rested for the next two contests.

"He was outstanding," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "Gave us a chance to have everybody fresh, our main guys for tomorrow. A superlative job coming in, giving a chance to get back in the game. ... It was huge for him to be able to give us a little blow and have our main guys ready to go tomorrow."

St. Louis counters with rookie Anthony Reyes (5-8, 5.06), who gets the call after Jason Marquis was left off the NLCS roster. He has recorded just one victory after August 10 and will work his first outing since September 27.

"For the most part, I don't really get too nervous or jittery whenever I play," Reyes said. "I'm going into this thing just thinking it's a regular baseball game, not trying to think about anything else and just going out there and making my pitches."

Jeff Suppan gave up three hits in eight innings Saturday and became the first Cardinals pitcher to homer in a postseason contest since Hall of Famer Bob Gibson in 1968 when he belted a solo shot in the second inning.

Scott Spiezio delivered a two-run triple for the second straight game for St. Louis, which will also host the Mets in Monday's Game Five.