PHOENIX (AP) -New York Mets manager Willie Randolph told Billy Wagner to keep critical comments in-house Friday, two days after the closer ripped pitcher Oliver Perez following a blowout loss to Pittsburgh.
Wagner criticized Perez after the left-hander lasted just 1 1-3 innings in a 13-1 loss to the Pirates on Wednesday, a night after the Mets exhausted their bullpen in an 11-inning victory.
“Perez has honestly got to step up and know that we’ve just used every guy in our bullpen the night before,” Wagner said at the time. “He can’t come out there and decide that, `Gee, he hasn’t got it today and so be it.”’
When asked if talking to Perez was like talking to a wall, Wagner said: “Pretty much.”
Wagner had little to say Friday.
“It’s all been taken care of,” he said.
Randolph addressed the subject Friday before the Mets’ game in Arizona
“I wouldn’t go that route, but that’s Billy,” Randolph said. “Billy gets a little emotional at times. If he feels that way, it’s fine. Billy doesn’t speak for the team. That’s just him. That’s just his opinion.”
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