Oliver Perez struggles again

In the off-season, the New York Mets gave pitcher Oliver Perez $36 million.

Perez, who had a breakout season in 2004 with Pittsburgh (2.98 ERA and 239 K's in 196 IP), has pitched horribly in three of his four starts.

And it's drawing frustration from manager Jerry Manuel, who is "really, really concerned."

Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Manuel is hoping to send a message to Perez by threatening his job.

"No stuff and no command is a recipe for disaster. ... I have to figure out how long [to be patient] and what is patience," Manuel said.

On the season, Perez is now 1-2 with an ERA of 9.31 and he's lasted more than four innings in only one of his four starts.