Jon Niese followed up his longest start of the year with his most frustrating, a walk-filled outing he called “embarrassing.” And the errant lefty’s season-high five free passes proved costly in the Mets’ 8-4 loss to the Phillies yesterday.
“Five walks, that’s pretty embarrassing. … I didn’t have my good stuff, I didn’t have good command,’’ said Niese, who walked three of the four Phillies who scored against him. “I just couldn’t command my stuff. Their whole lineup, I think, I can get them out if I command my stuff, but I didn’t have it.’’
He struck out a season-high tying seven in five-plus innings. He allowed only two hits, but he paid dearly for both — Ty Wigginton’s two-run double in the third and John Mayberry’s two-run home run in the sixth. Despite having thrown 105 pitches through five innings, he hit for himself in the bottom of the fifth and came out to start the sixth, promptly walking Wigginton and giving up the homer to Mayberry before getting yanked.
“He was battling all day with his stuff. He was having trouble locating it, quite opposite of last week in Pittsburgh. He was battling pretty much with all of his pitches,’’ said catcher Rob Johnson. “We tried. We were trying to get the four-seamer to work, we were trying to get the cutter, the two-seamer, the changeup. We were trying all of them, but he was battling.’’
That start in Pittsburgh last Wednesday was a gem, 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball in a great bounceback effort after his eight-run, three-inning disaster in Toronto. But yesterday he backslid in maddening fashion.
Granted, his defense betrayed him early. After seven straight errorless games at home, Daniel Murphy and David Wright made errors in the first and then Niese walked Wigginton to load the bases before retiring Mayberry to wriggle out of trouble. He wasn’t as lucky in the third.
After issuing two-out walks to Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino, Niese got two strikes on Wigginton before surrendering a two-RBI double to right. The Mets tied it on Vinny Rottino’s homer and Niese was convinced he could start the sixth.
“It’s frustrating. I wanted to go back out in the sixth. I thought I had more left in the tank. Obviously a leadoff walk is unacceptable and then I fell behind Mayberry and had to throw him a fastball,’’ said Niese, who hadn’t walked five since April 19, 2011. “Maybe if it was straight, he would’ve rolled over it, but it cut right to the bat and he put a good swing on it.’’
brian.lewis@nypost.com