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Perez, struggling Mets visit Rockies

May 23, 2008 - 2:24 PM NY Mets (22-23) at Colorado (18-29) 9:05 pm EDT

DENVER (Ticker) - Oliver Perez takes the mound on Friday as the New York Mets aim to snap a season high four-game skid against the Colorado Rockies in the opener of a three-game series.

The Mets have grossly underachieved this season after suffering perhaps the worst collapse in regular-season history last September. The Mets are under .500 and the calls for manager Willie Randolph to be fired are getting louder.

New York was outscored, 27-9, while suffering an embarrassing four-game sweep at the hands of their arch-rival Atlanta Braves this week. Even ace Johan Santana could not stop the bleeding. Santana allowed four runs and a career-high 12 hits in seven innings of a 4-2 loss on Thursday.

Now Perez (4-3, 4.25 ERA) will try and reverse the Mets' fortunes.

Perez has won two straight starts, and is coming off his best performance of the season. The lefthander allowed two runs and three hits in 7 2/3 innings of an 11-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Sunday.

Colorado, which has lost six of nine, will counter with rookie Greg Reynolds. The second pick of the 2006 draft, Reynolds(0-1, 3.09) allowed just three hits in six innings of a 3-2 victory over Minnesota on Saturday in his second career start.