Oliver Perez surrendered four hits and three earned runs in a three-inning start Tuesday against the Astros.

Perez entered spring training on thin ice and has not looked overly sharp on the mound this month. If he's going to make the Mets, it will be as a lefty specialist. And even that is a longshot.

Mets manager Terry Collins said Monday that Oliver Perez will get a chance to compete for the team's left-handed specialist job.

Basically, Collins promised Perez the chance to compete for a bullpen job if he doesn't work out as a starting pitcher. So, even though the odds are slim and the rope short, he'll get the opportunity. Taylor Tankersley, Tim Byrdak and Mike O'Connor are also in the mix.

A source told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that Oliver Perez won't see any starts this year.

It's not really news. Perez is already on thin ice in Mets camp and in danger of being cut before the club breaks north. He pitched two scoreless innings Thursday and may be able to buy himself a few more weeks with a strong early showing in Grapefruit League play, but this is a lost cause. He will be used as a reliever if he somehow manages to land a roster spot.

Oliver Perez held a Cardinals split-squad scoreless for two innings Thursday to earn a win for the Mets.

Seven Mets pitchers combined on a six-hit shutout against Matt Holliday and a cast of backups and minor leaguers. Perez allowed a double in the first and a single in the second, but he didn't walk anyone in the outing. That's probably enough to earn him at least one more start.

According to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, the Mets could release Oliver Perez if he doesn't show "significant improvement" in Thursday's appearance against the Cardinals.

Mets manager Terry Collins has insisted that this isn't the last stand for Ollie, but pretty soon the team is going to have to get serious about who has a chance of coming north with the team. The erratic left-hander allowed four runs and three walks in two innings of work against the Braves on Sunday and really, one solid performance shouldn't be enough to save him. It would be shocking if he lasts the entire spring with the team.

Oliver Perez yielded four runs in his two innings of work Sunday against the Braves.

Perez struck out three, but he gave up four hits and three walks to the 12 batters he faced. Odds are that the Mets will just go ahead and release him if he fails to impress over the next few weeks.

Mets manager Terry Collins said Monday that Oliver Perez will be given an opportunity to win a spot in the starting rotation during spring training.

The decision was made after Perez met with Collins, Sandy Alderson and Dan Warthen on Monday. It's worth a try, but eventually the Mets will have to get serious about who has a legitimate chance at making the ballcub. As of now, Chris Young and Chris Capuano look like the favorites for the final two spots in the starting rotation. Barring a miracle, the Mets will likely cut Perez a check for $12 million and send him on his merry way.

Oliver Perez arrived to work out at the Mets' minor league complex on Sunday, but the doors were locked.

Perez eventually found an open door on the major league side and began to work out, but we can't think of a more appropriate way for him to begin spring training. Expectations are extremely low for the erratic left-hander, but the Mets are hoping for a miracle during spring training. If he's the same old Ollie, look for him to be cut loose before the season.

Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen said the team is still discussing whether to use Oliver Perez as a starter or reliever during spring training.

Manager Terry Collins said last month that Perez would enter camp as a starter, but perhaps that decision wasn't set in stone. Ollie has virtually no chance of winning a starting job, so he'd probably be better off just focusing on winning a spot in the bullpen. Either way, there's a good chance he'll be cut before Opening Day.

SI.com's Jon Heyman reports that the Mets are expected to cut Oliver Perez if he has a poor spring training.

Not exactly an earth-shattering development. New GM Sandy Alderson has no ties to Perez, and Ollie has zero trade value, so the Mets will simply let him pitch for a job in spring training and cut bait if he fails. The odds are fairly good that the latter will wind up happening. Perez will enter camp as a starter but has a much better shot of earning a roster spot as a lefty specialist in the bullpen.

Oliver Perez will enter spring training as a starting pitcher, according to Mets manager Terry Collins.

Collins hedged by saying that Perez could be used as a situational reliever. That decision will be made based on what Perez shows in spring training. Ollie finished 2010 with a 6.80 ERA and 2.07 WHIP and is owed $12 million in 2011. "I have an idea what his mindset is like. We've got to rebuild the confidence," Collins said. "But he's not the only guy on this team. That will start with not only Ollie, but with a lot of other guys." Barring a miracle, the Mets will likely cut him loose at the end of spring training.

Neither Mets manager Terry Collins or pitching coach Dan Warthen have watched Oliver Perez pitch in the Mexican Winter League.

Sandy Alderson hasn't even spoken to Perez since he took over as general manager. "We've had a trainer that has been on top of the situation," said Alderson. "We've had a scout down there on more than one occasion. One of the important things for the off-season is conditioning. In his case and many others, the important thing is throwing innings, building arm strength. He'll be working on mechanics in spring training rather than winter ball." While the Mets haven't visited Perez, they haven't missed much, either. The erratic left-hander has a 31/29 K/BB ratio over 37 2/3 innings. The Mets still owe him $12 million for 2011, but similar to Luis Castillo, they may cut him at the end of spring training.

Oliver Perez gave up three runs over five innings while pitching for Culiacan in the Mexican Winter League on Tuesday.

He gave up three hits -- two of them home runs -- while striking out four and walking three. Perez now has a 5.18 ERA and 26/23 K/BB ratio over 33 innings with Culiacan. He is expected to come to spring training in order to compete for a spot as a left-handed reliever, but we have a hard time seeing him make the Opening Day roster. The Mets may finally decide to cut him loose.

A source tells Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that Oliver Perez is touching the low 90s on the radar gun while pitching for Culiacan in the Mexican Winter League.

"Early velocities were 87-89, occasional 90 -- all out of the pen," the source said. "Starting velocities have the consistent 88, but spikes are higher and more common -- 91s and occasional 92s." We're not going to go crazy over small sample sizes, but Perez has tossed 10 scoreless innings over his past two starts. The best-case scenario is that Perez's success in Mexico convinces some team to trade for him, though the Mets will likely have to pay a large portion of the $12 million remaining on his contract.

Oliver Perez has not allowed a run in his last 10 innings for Tomateros de Culiacan down in the Mexican Winter League.

Through seven appearances (15 innings) thus far, Perez has allowed 12 hits and five runs with a 14/9 K/BB ratio. It seems like he's starting to find a groove, but it's awfully difficult to draw any meaning from the numbers. He remains an ineffective big league pitcher and a major question mark heading into the 2011 season. Ollie finished 2010 with a 6.80 ERA and 2.07 WHIP.

Oliver Perez has a 9.00 ERA and .350 BAA in five innings with Culiacan of the Mexican Winter League.

It's a small sample size, sure, but Ollie wanted to pitch in Mexico this winter in order to work on his mechanics and build some confidence against inferior competition. So far, though, no dice. New GM Sandy Alderson hasn't commented specifically on the matter, but it's certainly possible Perez could be cut loose this offseason.

Oliver Perez has a 6.23 ERA over 4 1/3 innings for Culiacan of the Mexican Winter League.

Perez has struck out six, walked three and allowed five hits over that span. He was awarded a victory in Sunday's 6-5 defeat of Navojoa, but that was out of plain luck. The left-hander headed to Mexico this fall in the hopes of figuring some things out against a lower level of competition, but that plan has fallen flat thus far. Ollie needs to do better.

Oliver Perez allowed two runs on two hits and a walk in one inning of relief Saturday for Culiacan of the Mexican Winter League.

Perez retired all three batters he faced Thursday in his debut, but this appearance didn't go quite as well. The left-hander finished 2010 with an 0-5 record, 6.80 ERA and 2.07 WHIP over 46 1/3 innings. The Mets owe him $12 million next year.

Oliver Perez threw a scoreless inning Thursday in his debut for Culiacan of the Mexican Winter League.

Perez retired all three batters he faced, two via strikeout. The lefty finished with an 0-5 record, 6.80 ERA and 2.07 WHIP over 46 1/3 innings this year for the Mets and is owed $12 million next year. He's hoping to have a productive offseason and ride that momentum into 2011.

Oliver Perez is expected to begin pitching in the Mexican Pacific League in November.

This is his last chance, basically. According to Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger, if the erratic left-hander does not show improvement or the new general manager is unable to deal him, Mets COO Jeff Wilpon indicated that he would be willing to eat the remaining $12 million on his contract. It's tough to envision a scenario where he'd return next season.