Howard Smith – USATODAY Sports
The good news for the New York Mets is that Jon Niese is back from the disabled list, which they hope will solidify their starting rotation for the remainder of the season and allow them to finish the season strong. But the bad news is that Niese was sluggish in his first start back from a sore shoulder.
Against the Arizona Diamondbacks, in his first start since June 20, Niese allowed four runs on seven hits over six innings, only walking one while striking out five. Although he eventually settled down and finished strong, striking out the last two batters he faced, Niese got off to a slow start and let the Diamondbacks back in the game after the Mets took an early 4-0 lead.
Niese’s biggest problem is that both his cutter and changeup weren’t sharp, which allowed him to give up plenty of hard hit balls, including a three-run home run to Arizona second baseman Aaron Hill. What saved Niese is some good defense behind him as well as the fact that he started to use his curveball more. That may be something Niese should continue to do moving forward as it’s been a key pitch for him throughout his career, yet he has not thrown it all that much this season.
Niese may not have been at his best on Sunday, but the Mets will certainly be glad to have him back. They held their breath when he went to the disabled list with a potentially serious shoulder injury, so they are just relieved to have him healthy and on the mound again. Niese is a big part of the Mets’ future, and having him remain healthy for the rest of the season, regardless of the results, would be exactly what the Mets want to see.
Bryan Zarpentine is a New York Mets writer at www.RantSports.com. Like him on Facebook, follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google.
