PHOENIX — The rust was evident, but this wasn’t so much a day for the Mets to critique Jon Niese as welcome him back.
When the team had last seen the lefty in action seven weeks earlier, he was departing a game in Atlanta with shoulder “tendinitis” that was actually a partially torn rotator cuff, making his 2013 return hardly a certainty.
But that return came yesterday, when Niese gave the Mets six respectable innings in a 9-5 victory over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
Niese (4-6) allowed a three-run homer to Aaron Hill in the third as part of a performance in which he surrendered four earned runs on seven hits and one walk for his first victory since May 16. He was removed at 83 pitches after striking out the final two batters he faced, Cliff Pennington and Jason Kubel.
The Mets (54-61) won for the fifth time in six games and finished with a series victory over the Diamondbacks. The next stop is Los Angeles, for a three-game series that begins tonight against the NL West-leading Dodgers.
In the grand scheme, Niese could be the Mets’ No. 4 starter, behind the triumvirate of Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard. The Mets value Niese as a dependable lefty in an organization deep in pitching talent that is almost exclusively right-handed.
Niese was named the Mets’ Opening Day starter when it became evident Johan Santana, who later needed season-ending surgery, wouldn’t be ready, but struggled with his consistency before hitting the disabled list on June 21. Manager Terry Collins indicated Niese wasn’t helped by games he pitched in frigid conditions at Minnesota and Colorado in April that might have put extra strain on his arm. But yesterday he had the luxury of a climate-controlled indoor setting, with outside temperature at first pitch hovering around 100 degrees.
Ike Davis continued his recent surge by reaching base in four of five plate appearances, including three walks. On Saturday he reached base four times, twice by a walk.
The thunder came from Andrew Brown, who smashed a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the seventh. In the ninth, rookie Wilmer Flores connected against Heath Bell for his first major league homer. It gave Flores nine RBIs in six games since arriving from Triple-A Las Vegas last week.
Brown’s homer in the seventh gave the Mets plenty of cushion. Davis walked for the third time and Flores singled before Brown unloaded for his second pinch-hit homer this season.
Hill’s three-run homer in the third sliced the Mets’ lead to 5-4. Paul Goldschmidt walked with one out, after A.J. Pollock singled leading off the inning, before Hill hit a no-doubter that cleared the left-field fence.
Omar Quintanilla’s RBI single in the top of the inning had extended the Mets’ lead to 5-1. Mike Baxter was running on the play and attempted to score from first base, but was thrown out at home plate to end the inning.
The Mets sent eight batters to the plate in the first inning against Zeke Spruill and gave Niese a quick four-run lead. The big play was Goldschmidt’s fielding error on Baxter’s grounder with the bases loaded that allowed three runs to score. Anthony Recker’s ensuing RBI double gave the Mets a 4-0 lead.
Hill’s RBI double against Niese in the bottom of the inning got a run back for the Diamondbacks.
mpuma@nypost.com