On the Mets beat

Anyone else feeling a little nervous about the Braves? After all that tough talk (from Jimmy Rollins anyway) about the resurgent Phillies, it looks like GM John Schuerholz and manager Bobby Cox weren't kidding around this spring when they said they have their sights set on reclaiming the NL East this season. I can only imagine the whining that must be burning up the airwaves on WIP tonight.

With Oliver Perez taking the mound tomorrow at Turner Field, here's a quickie scouting report from Tom Glavine on the young lefthander. It was part of a story that I wrote earlier this week but didn't make the newspaper (or web site). Seems Glavine, a budding pitching coach himself, thinks Perez has concentration issues.

"As do most young players," Glavine said. "It’s hard out there. There’s a lot going on, there’s a lot you’re thinking about, there’s a lot obviously to be distracted by, and if you’re not on top of your game, then your mind can wander a little bit. That’s where as a young player you can really make a difference in the kind of year you have. On the good days when you’re locked in mentally and locked in physically, you should win those games. But there’s a lot of days when that’s not the case. Sometimes the days you’re off a little physically you can make up for a lot mentally.

"Is Oliver capable of doing that? Yeah, because I’ve seen him do it. Now how consistently he does it is the difference between having a decent year and having a really good year. It really all depends on how well he focuses."

One other thing. There's a good chance Lastings Milledge could crack the lineup tonight with lefthander Mark Redman starting for the Braves. If he has a good night, a platoon could be imminent.