For the second straight game, the Mets got a gem from young starter Jonathan Niese. And for the second straight game, they took it and flushed it down the proverbial toilet.
Just as he had Friday in Philadelphia, Niese (7-5, 3.50 ERA) gave the Mets seven strong innings last night against Colorado, and walked off the mound with a 2-1 lead. And just like his tough-luck no-decision against the Phillies, the bullpen blew what should have been a victory the very next inning.
This time it was Manny Acosta’s five-run meltdown, and a 6-2 loss to the Rockies in front of a bitter crowd at Citi Field that chanted, “Fire Jerry! Fire Jerry!”
Niese held the Rockies to just five hits and a single run when he tired in his seventh and final inning. He struck out seven, and unlike his last start when he walked five, his control was pinpoint without a single walk.
He faced very few jams, mowing through the heart of the order in the fourth inning, interrupted only by cleanup hitter Troy Tulowitzki’s bunt single.
When he finally faced a jam in the seven, after Tulowitzki and Melvin Mora led off with back-to-back singles, the Mets conference at the mound. Niese responded by inducing a groundout from Ryan Spilsborghs, and after allowing his only run of the day on Chris Iannetta’s sacrifice fly, he popped up Clint Barnes to end the threat — and his night.
After Niese’s 4 1/3-inning, seven run hiccup against Arizona on Aug. 1, he’s turned in back-to-back seven inning gems. Niese allowed just four hits and a lone run on Aug. 6, with seven strikeouts and that tough-luck no-decision in Philadelphia. Last night was a more than worthy encore, and more than worthy of a win, not another no-decision.