The guy who was once considered a potential #2 starter behind Johan Santana is looking more and more like a #4 or #5 starter at best. Pelfrey has become as inconsistent as Oliver Perez.
Pelfrey can't seem to string together back to back good outings. He's not producing the ground balls off his sinker like he used to. Hitters aren't just getting singles, but are pounding Pelfrey like he's throwing batting practice. It seems like every start Pelfrey has one inning where he just implodes.
Sounds a lot like Oliver Perez.
The other similarity which is more worrisome than his pitching is the mental status of Pelfrey. We all know Ollie is a head case. Somehow that's what makes him intriguing, but also causes Perez to have such disparaging highs and lows on the mound. Pelfrey is looking lost at times on the mound. He doesn't have the mental fortitude to get past a tough situation or an unfortunate break. It just leads him further into the depths of destruction.
Perfect example was last night when Mark Reynolds got his bat sawed off and looked ready to pierce David Wright. Now that was a ground ball that should have gotten the out at first base, but the unfortunate circumstances of being potentially injured by a flying bat caused Wright to not play the ball like he normally would. As soon as that play happened, it sentenced Pelfrey to a loss. Reynolds stole second and then back to back doubles and 3 runs later, Pelfrey had lost control of the inning.
Pelfrey needs some therapy and some lessons in mental strength this off season. I still think he has the stuff to be a solid pitcher for the Mets in the future, but he's got to be more consistent and develop a killer instinct to be a successful pitcher in this town.
Otherwise we'll have two Ollie P's on our hands.
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