N.Y. Mets: Jon Niese's Loss Allows Miami to Creep Closer in Standings

From the desk of:   HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

First Pitch Versus Marlins ~ Tuesday, August 7, 2012

NEW YORK METS:  Overall, Jon Niese Has Pitched Well This Season.  He Just Simply Has Not Seized the Moment When Pressed To Do So.


Lefty's loopy curve ball got him in trouble again.  Some time over the last month, I said Jon Niese needed more bite on his deuce.  His is too round, and batters can adjust to it.  Tuesday night, Miami saw it just fine.

In six innings, the Marlins clubbed eight hits off Niese; he hit a batter, and walked one more.  As opposed to getting victimized by one pitch late in his starts, this time Miami roughed up Jon Niese with five hits and four runs in the fourth inning.


Jon Niese pitched six innings in all, and came in four short of one hundred pitches thrown for the game.  He walked one batter and struck out four.  But more importantly, he came up short again when the Mets needed their lefty to maximize a start.  And so the big win; a clutch performance; have eluded the Mets' lefty this season when pressed for a victory.  Niese's record has been flattening out, and now stands at 8-6 for the season.  After lowering his ERA to 3.35 by July 3rd, his mark has steadily escalated towards a present 3.82 mark.


He was faced by a Miami team that partly dismantled itself at the trade deadline.  And aesthetically at least, a win would have gotten the Mets to with three games of the .500 mark again.  Jon Niese's season has been pock-marked by a string of opportunities lost.  Tuesday's was just the latest.  Opening a home stand with a W is always a nice way to get things started.  Just not today.





Mike.BTB