Jon Niese was able to look at his performance in Saturday’s 7-3 win over the Cubs as a “step forward.”
He has Vic Black to thank for that.
Niese, cruising for most of his start, unraveled in the seventh and only a brilliant job out of the bullpen from Black kept the Mets comfortably ahead.
Given a 7-1 lead after a four-run sixth, Niese surrendered a leadoff homer to Justin Ruggiano. It was the first of five consecutive hits he allowed before being removed with the bases loaded and no one out and the cushion down to four.
“ ‘Just please help me out,’ ” Niese said he thought as he left the game. “I was in a tough spot.”
Manager Terry Collins called on Black to get them out of trouble with the top of the order coming up and he responded by getting Chris Coghlan to fly out to shallow left, Javier Baez to pop to first and Anthony Rizzo to pop to short.
When asked if he wanted to limit the damage when he entered, Black said he had a different goal.
“I was thinking no damage,” Black said. “I’m thinking, ‘Those are my runs’ and I have to figure out a way to do it.”
Black delivered.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a reliever get out of a bigger jam than he did tonight,” Niese said. “Bases loaded, no outs. … The Cubs don’t like to walk. They like to swing the bat. He used that to his advantage.”
And it let Niese finish with just three runs in six-plus innings.
“I’m still working,” Niese said. “I was able to build off the last one.”
After beating the Phillies in his last start — his best since returning from a left shoulder strain that landed him on the DL last month — Niese was solid until his last inning.
He didn’t allow a hit until Baez started the fourth with a single to center and then surrendered a homer to Welington Castillo to start the fifth.
“I think his last two have been pretty good,” Collins said. “If we get consistent starts the rest of the summer [from Niese], we’re going to be in pretty good shape.”
He also had to pitch around some shoddy defense — including his own — in the first inning.
Niese and David Wright — who would later leave the game after getting hit by a pitch — made errors on the first two plays of the game, but Niese escaped unscathed.
The Mets scored three runs in the second. After a leadoff walk by Lucas Duda, Travis d’Arnaud grounded into a force out. He moved to second on Matt den Dekker’s single to right and then scored on Juan Lagares’ ground-rule double to right-center.
Wilmer Flores, who made a diving play at shortstop in the top of the inning, delivered a two-run single to make it 3-0.
The Mets seemingly put the game out of reach in the sixth.
Cubs starter Dan Straily walked den Dekker with the bases loaded to force in a run. Arismendy Alcantara flubbed Lagares’ fly to center, which led to two more runs.
But Niese made it a game again in the seventh.
“I was trying to pound the zone,” Niese said. “We had a pretty big lead. They got five straight hits. It happened quick.”
And it ended nearly as quickly because of Black’s magic act.
“The job he’s done with guys on base is unbelievable,” said Collins, noting Black is actually better in those situations than when he begins an inning. “He’s just a tough guy. He’s not afraid to fail. That’s the attitude you have to have here.”