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The lefthander, in the first year of a three-year, $36 million contract with the Mets, is recovering from patellar tendonitis in his right knee. Perez got through a 4 1/3-inning stint against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, striking out five, but also allowed five walks and three hits.

He retired seven of the last eight batters he faced, but the one run he allowed in the second inning was enough for him to take the loss as the Bisons fell 2-1.

“Tomorrow is the important day,” said Perez, who threw 88 pitches, 48 for strikes. “See how it feels and hope it feels better.

“My knee was getting sore a little bit. Later in the game, it was feeling sore because of the cold.”

He seemed to aggravate the injury in the first inning, when he took an awkward step off the mound while pursuing a bouncer off the bat of Miguel Cairo.

The response from the Bisons on-field brass was immediate, as manager Ken Oberkfell was joined by pitching coach Ricky Bones and trainer Brian Chicklo to check on Perez’ condition.

After one warmup toss, he stayed in the game and followed with his slowest pitch of the inning – 85 mph – but still retired David Newhan for the final out. Perez ambled off the field gingerly, then walked Lou Marson on his first four pitches in the second inning.

In that frame, in which he threw only 16 of 33 pitches for strikes, he allowed his only run on a bases-loaded walk to Jason Ellison.

“That could happen in the big leagues,” Perez said. “The more important thing is I got out of the inning and kept the team in the game.”

“He pitched in and out of trouble,” Oberkfell said. “He was a little erratic with his command at times, but when he had to make pitches, he made pitches.”

Perez hasn’t seen true game action since leaving his May 2 start at Philadelphia after 2 1/3 innings. He was placed on the disabled list four days later. He worked two bullpen sessions in Port St. Lucie with catcher Brian Schneider (also on the Mets’ DL) before making working two extended spring training games.

“(Tuesday) there was more emotion,” he explained. “Every time (at extended spring training) I tried to think of it as a big-league game, but this is almost the major league level.”

He will likely need another rehab appearance with Buffalo before rejoining the Mets, where he was 1-2 in five starts with an unsightly 9.97 earned run average.

“I don’t want to go upstairs (to the Mets) and not feel better,” he admitted. “I have to keep working here to be ready for when they call me up.”

………

With the loss, the Herd failed to extend their longest winning streak of the season past three games.

The IronPigs, along with their run in the second, also added a single run in the sixth as Marson scampered home when Bisons catcher Robinson C Cancel couldn’t hang onto the inning-ending third strike.

Buffalo got on the board in the eighth when Michael Abreu swatted a pinch-hit leadoff homer.

It was the Bisons’ first pinch-hit homer since Jason Cooper did it at Indianapolis on July 16, 2006.

In a relief role, Kyle Snyder fanned seven, the most punchouts by a Buffalo reliever since Bubbie Buzachero had eight against Rochester last July 3.

………

The Bisons played with a shorter bench than usual, as outfielder Fernando Martinez was called up by the Mets hours before the game.

Before his departure, Martinez explained what he expected to do in the big leagues: “Just like when I played here...play hard. For me it's not too different. Just stay relaxed and play baseball.”

“He did everything he had to do here, and was our most consistent player,” Oberkfell explained. “I’m happy for him.”

Martinez, a 20-year old who hit .291 with eight homers and 28 RBI with the Herd, got to New York in time for the Mets’ 6-1 win against the Washington Nationals. He played right field and batted sixth, going 0-for-3 with an RBI on a force play.