What we're watching - Ollie rejoins the Mets - MLB

– Oliver Perez makes his much-anticipated return to the rotation versus
the Dodgers. Of course, most of the anticipation comes from National
League hitters, rather than Mets fans. Perez had a 9.97 ERA in five
starts before the Mets shelved him for nine weeks with a knee injury.
The left-hander had a 3.12 ERA in four rehab starts, but his one
particularly strong effort came in the short-season New York-Penn
League. Overall, he allowed 17 hits and walked 11 in 17 1/3 innings.
The Dodgers will throw Hiroki Kuroda.

– Both failed last time out, but Zack Greinke and Tim Wakefield will
again have chances to become the AL’s first 11-game winners tonight.
Wakefield has the advantage of facing an A’s team that’s 12th in the AL
in runs, 13th in OBP and dead last in slugging. Greinke, though, has
already manhandled his opponent, Detroit, twice this season, throwing a
pair of compete games that resulted in identical 6-1 victories. He’s
10-4 with a 2.69 ERA lifetime against the Tigers.

Game of the Night

Texas vs. L.A. Angels – The Rangers and Angels entered the
three-game series with identical records, and nothing has been decided
through two games, as the Rangers were able to bounce back from a 9-4
defeat to win 8-5 on Tuesday. Tonight’s matchup is made more
interesting in that both starters are dealing with questions about
their arms at the moment. Vicente Padilla will work on eight days’ rest
after complaining of shoulder soreness. He lost to the Angels after
giving up five runs and two homers over five innings on June 29. Ervin
Santana and his still iffy elbow ligament will face the Rangers for the
first time this season. He lost Friday in his return from the DL,
leaving him 1-4 with a 7.43 ERA in seven starts for the season. The
Angels will probably be without the services of Vladimir Guerrero after
he suffered a strained leg muscle last night.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — The Nevada Senate adjourned Thursday without voting on a financing bill for a proposed $1.5 billion Las Vegas Strip stadium for the Oakland Athletics, extending the special legislative session into the next week amid negotiations over whether to contribute $380 million in public funding to the project.

The measure can still be amended by lawmakers, and if it passes the Senate it would still need approval from the Assembly before going to the desk of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who has expressed support for it. Both the state Senate and Assembly are adjourned until Monday.

In a hearing that began Wednesday and stretched into the early morning hours Thursday, lawmakers peppered tourism officials and a representative from a firm partnering with the ball club with questions about the feasibility and benefits of financing such a deal.

Public funds for the stadium would mainly come from $180 million in transferable tax credits and $120 million in county bonds. Backers have pledged that the creation of a special tax district around the proposed stadium would generate enough money to pay off those bonds and interest. The plan would not directly raise taxes.

The A’s would not owe property taxes for the publicly owned stadium. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, would also contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

A’s representatives and some tourism officials say a deal would further grow Las Vegas’ developing sports scene and act as an economic engine, but a growing chorus of economists and some lawmakers warn that the project would bring minimal benefits for the hefty public price tag.

What we're watching – Ollie rejoins the Mets

Nevada Senate vote on proposed A’s stadium in Las Vegas extended until next week