SAN DIEGO — If Sunday in Arizona was merely Jon Niese’s welcome-back celebration, last night’s game reaffirmed the Mets lefty still can dominate an opponent.
The Padres came out flailing — and failing — against Niese and never made it interesting. With Niese delivering six strong innings and Marlon Byrd, Ike Davis and Daniel Murphy providing home runs, the Mets cruised to a 5-2 victory at Petco Park.
Niese (5-6, 4.25 ERA) was rusty in his return from the disabled list against the Diamondbacks last Sunday, allowing four earned runs over six innings, but was never in danger last night. He allowed one run and gave up six hits with nine strikeouts and one walk. The nine strikeouts were one short of the career-high he set last season against the Cardinals.
“I felt like I was able to locate my pitches where I wanted to, early,” Niese said. “And then late I kind of got away with a few things, but overall I felt good.”
The Mets (56-64) won their second straight and seem to have recovered from getting swept three games in Los Angeles earlier in the week.
Anthony Recker, who could be a roster casualty next week if the Mets decide to stick with Travis d’Arnaud, finished 3-for-3 with a walk as part of the Mets’ 12-hit attack.
The rookie d’Arnaud will be called up from Triple-A Las Vegas today, with John Buck placed on the paternity list. Buck left the team yesterday to join his expectant wife, Brooke, in New York.
Before the game, general manager Sandy Alderson said d’Arnaud might have a shot at staying with the team once Buck’s paternity leave ends following Monday. Regardless, the Mets likely will have all three catchers in September, when rosters can expand.
Niese, who threw 111 pitches, had six strikeouts in the first two innings — all of them swinging — an emphatic sign his left shoulder is healthy. Niese was placed on the disabled list on June 21 with a partially torn rotator cuff.
“He built up a lot of pitches, but it’s all about trying to get him back,” manager Terry Collins said. “And the only way he’s going to get back is to pitch. We got to the fifth inning, I just thought if he could go out there one more time it would help him down the road.”
In the sixth, Niese allowed a leadoff single to Jedd Gyorko, but retired the next three batters, two of them by strikeout.
“They did a good job of making me throw a lot of pitches, so I was fortunate enough that I was able to escape freak innings,” Niese said.
Scott Rice, Carlos Torres and LaTroy Hawkins combined for the final three innings. Hawkins, who pitched a scoreless ninth, made his first appearance since getting hit in the genitals with a Jerry Hairston Jr. one-hopper on Wednesday in Los Angeles, moments before Andre Ethier delivered a game-tying homer.
Murphy’s two-run homer in the fourth extended the Mets’ lead to 5-1. Ian Kennedy walked Niese to begin the inning, and after Eric Young Jr. was retired, Murphy slammed one over the right-field fence for his 10th homer this season.
Byrd and Davis homered on consecutive pitches in the third to give the Mets a 3-1 lead. Byrd cleared the center-field fence for his team-leading 19th homer before Davis smashed the next pitch into the right-field seats. Davis’ blast was just his second since returning from Triple-A Las Vegas on July 5. His previous homer had come on July 26 in Washington.
Will Venable’s homer in the third against Niese sliced the Mets’ lead to 3-1.
Recker, a late addition to the lineup after Buck departed, doubled leading off the second and scored on Young’s RBI ground out, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead.
Kennedy, the former Yankees pitcher whom the Padres acquired from the Diamondbacks at the trade deadline, allowed five earned runs on seven hits and four walks over 4 2/3 innings.