Results tagged ‘ Jon Niese ’
Mets 5, Cardinals 2: Three Up, Three Down
Turns out the Mets can score more than four runs in a game.
Three Up:
1. LHP Jon Niese: Niese spent the past week practicing his mechanics in front of a mirror, and it appears to have paid off. Neither of the two runs that Niese allowed was entirely his fault.
2. 2B Daniel Murphy: How’s this for streaky: since snapping his 0-for-17 skid last Sunday, Niese has gone 11-for-17 with four doubles, three RBI and four runs scored. Consistency is overrated.
3. 3B David Wright: What a steady producer Wright has been this season. He has not carried the Mets like he did in the first half last year, but the Mets will be fine with that as long as he remains steady throughout the second half.
Three Down:
1. 1B Ike Davis: He’s 0-for-22 since manager Terry Collins gave him a vote of confidence in the cleanup spot, and Collins has only promised him a run of games there through this weekend. After that, things could get ugly.
2. OF Rick Ankiel: The Mets claimed they signed Ankiel for his defense, but the newcomer has now cost the Mets twice in three games. Thursday’s misplay may have partially been Jordany Valdespin’s fault, but as the center fielder, Ankiel needs to call him off.
3. OF Jordany Valdespin: Can we give Ike two down here? No? Then this down goes to Valdespin for the aforementioned foul ball and for his inexplicable bunt attempt in the seventh inning. His drag bunt was nice, but the other stuff outweighed it.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+5
RHP Matt Harvey, C John Buck, 3B David Wright
+4
IF Justin Turner
+3
OF Marlon Byrd
+2
RHP LaTroy Hawkins, RHP Jeremy Hefner, OF Mike Baxter, 2B Daniel Murphy
+1
OF Juan Lagares, LHP Scott Rice, LHP Jon Niese
-1
C Anthony Recker, OF Lucas Duda, OF Rick Ankiel
-2
LHP Aaron Laffey, RHP Brandon Lyon, RHP Scott Atchison, RHP Shaun Marcum, OF Jordany Valdespin
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis, RHP Dillon Gee
-4
LHP Josh Edgin
-10
1B Ike Davis
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Pirates 11, Mets 2: Three Up, Three Down
What’s wrong with Jon Niese? The Mets would surely like to know.
Three Up:
1. OF Marlon Byrd: One of Byrd’s two hits (the RBI knock) may have been a cheapie, but there wasn’t much else to like about this offense on a dreary Saturday afternoon at Citi. At this point, the Mets will take their hits any way they can get them.
2. 1B Justin Turner: Cracking the starting lineup for a third consecutive game, Turner rebounded from Friday’s 0-for-4 to reach base twice. He continues to be a productive and versatile bat for the Mets.
3. SS Ruben Tejada: Another nice offensive rebound for Tejada, who finally gave the Mets a bit of production atop their batting order. His hustle to stretch a single into a double in a nine-run game did not go unnoticed.
Three Down:
1. LHP Jon Niese: Something is significantly wrong here, and it’s not clear if it’s physical, mechanical or something different. Niese has now given up 16 runs, 15 hits and nine walks over his last two starts, spanning 8 1/3 innings.
2. C John Buck: Not only was Buck helpless to stop Niese’s bleeding from behind the plate, he also finished 0-for-4 with the bat yet again. The Mets have received virtually no offensive production from their everyday catcher since mid-April.
3. 2B Jordany Valdespin: Valdespin’s right forearm will probably be sore tomorrow, after taking a Bryan Morris fastball off it. Most around baseball will say he got what he deserved, one day after showboating his homer in a five-run game.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+6
C John Buck
+5
3B David Wright
+4
RHP Matt Harvey, IF Justin Turner
+2
RHP LaTroy Hawkins, LHP Scott Rice, OF Mike Baxter, OF Marlon Byrd
+1
RHP Jeremy Hefner, RHP Bobby Parnell, OF Juan Lagares, LHP Robert Carson
-1
RHP Scott Atchison, RHP Brandon Lyon, C Anthony Recker, OF Jordany Valdespin
-2
RHP Greg Burke, LHP Aaron Laffey, RHP Dillon Gee, OF Lucas Duda, 2B Daniel Murphy
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis, RHP Shaun Marcum
-4
LHP Josh Edgin
-7
1B Ike Davis
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Braves 9, Mets 4: Three Up, Three Down
In rainy Atlanta, the Mets saw their momentum washed away.
Three Up:
1. 3B: David Wright: Captain America went deep for the third straight game, but also misplayed B.J. Upton’s single in the third inning on defense. It probably should have been an error.
2. OF Mike Baxter: Let’s give Mike from Whitestone some props for his pinch-hit double in the eighth, sparking what could have been a game-tying rally. Alas, it was not.
3. 1B Justin Turner: Pinch-hitting for Ike Davis, Turner worked a bases-loaded walk to further the rally that Baxter started. Both Mets pinch-hitters came through in this game.
Three Down:
1. LHP Jon Niese: Had the defense not betrayed him, Niese’s line might have looked much better. But the six walks against him were far too many, and Niese admitted that much after the game.
2. OF Lucas Duda: Before this week, Duda’s defense in left field had actually been passable. But he made a big mistake in Miami and another on Sunday, breaking in on a two-run double over his head.
3. OF Marlon Byrd: Byrd came to the plate in the eighth inning as the potential tying run. Eric O’Flaherty then threw him six pitches, five of them out of the strike zone, and Byrd swung at three of them to whiff.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+8
C John Buck
+5
3B David Wright
+3
RHP Matt Harvey, INF Justin Turner
+2
RHP LaTroy Hawkins, LHP Scott Rice, SS Ruben Tejada
+1
RHP Jeremy Hefner, RHP Bobby Parnell, LHP Jon Niese, OF Marlon Byrd
-1
RHP Scott Atchison, OF Mike Baxter
-2
RHP Greg Burke, LHP Aaron Laffey, C Anthony Recker, RHP Dillon Gee, RHP Shaun Marcum, RHP Brandon Lyon, OF Lucas Duda
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
-4
LHP Josh Edgin
-6
1B Ike Davis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Phillies sweep Mets: Three Up, Three Down
A delayed reaction to this weekend’s sweep at the hands of the Phillies. We’ll run through it quickly here to update the standings:
Friday: Phillies 4, Mets 0
Three Up: RHP Jeurys Familia, LHP Josh Edgin, SS Ruben Tejada
Three Down: 2B Daniel Murphy, OF Mike Baxter, C John Buck
Saturday: Phillies 9, Mets 4
Three Up: 3B David Wright, C John Buck, LHP Scott Rice
Three Down: 2B Daniel Murphy, RHP Shaun Marcum, LHP Robert Carson
Sunday: Phillies 5, Mets 1
Three Up: 3B David Wright, LHP Jon Niese, SS Ruben Tejada
Three Down: 2B Daniel Murphy, C John Buck, RHP Scott Atchison
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+7
C John Buck
+3
RHP Matt Harvey
+2
INF Justin Turner, RHP LaTroy Hawkins, OF Marlon Byrd, LHP Scott Rice, 3B David Wright, SS Ruben Tejada, LHP Jon Niese
+1
OF Collin Cowgill, 2B Daniel Murphy
-1
RHP Dillon Gee, RHP Brandon Lyon, OF Lucas Duda, C Anthony Recker, OF Mike Baxter, RHP Shaun Marcum, RHP Scott Atchison
-2
RHP Greg Burke, LHP Aaron Laffey, OF Jordany Valdespin
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
-4
LHP Josh Edgin
-6
1B Ike Davis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Mets 16, Twins 5: Three Up, Three Down
Welp, that one was an absolute rout:
Three Up:
1. C John Buck: A grand slam made it four straight games with a homer for Buck, who now has six long balls in nine games behind the plate. His offensive output has been staggering.
2. 2B Daniel Murphy: This is turning into one of the better offensive stretches of Murphy’s career; four more hits Friday upped his season average to .368.
3. 3B David Wright: That’s the type of offensive output the captain has been looking for. Wright still doesn’t have a home run this season, but he produced everything else in a three-hit, four-RBI attack.
Three Down:
1. LHP Jon Niese: The worst thing a pitcher can do with an eight-run lead? Walk four guys in five innings. We’ll chalk this one up to the wintry conditions at Target Field.
2. OF Lucas Duda: Every Mets starting position player rapped out at least one hit except for Duda, who was 0-for-3 with a walk.
3. OF Mike Baxter: This is a tough “down,” but we’ll give it to Baxter for failing to drive in a runner from third with one out in the second. Baxter finished 1-for-5, going hitless until the ninth.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+6
C John Buck
+4
2B Daniel Murphy
+2
RHP Matt Harvey
+1
OF Marlon Byrd, OF Jordany Valdespin, LHP Jon Niese
-1
RHP Jeurys Familia, SS Ruben Tejada, LHP Aaron Laffey, 3B David Wright, OF Lucas Duda
-2
LHP Josh Edgin, RHP Greg Burke
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis, 1B Ike Davis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Mets 7, Marlins 3: Three Up, Three Down
That was a wild one. Here’s your daily trios:
Three Up:
1. LHP Jon Niese: Ho hum, yet another strong starting pitching performance for the Mets. Niese gave up eight hits, but most of them were soft ground balls or bloopers. On most days, Niese would have pitched deeper into the game and recorded the win.
2. C John Buck: Four RBI for Buck brought his season total to nine, second in Major League Baseball. (You read that right.) Buck also called another strong game behind the plate against his former team; Mets pitchers really seem to love him.
3. OF Mike Baxter: With respect to David Wright, who rapped out three hits, and Daniel Murphy, who recorded the game-winner, it was Baxter who kept the offense chugging along all day. Two walks and a hit were nice, but Baxter’s stolen base in the seventh was what really made Murphy’s game-winner possible.
Three Down:
1. SS Ruben Tejada: Four errors now in five games for Tejada, in what is becoming a legitimate issue. With no other bona fide shortstop on the roster, the Mets cannot even give Tejada a day or two to clear his mind. (By the way, he was also 0-for-4 at the plate).
2. LHP Josh Edgin: According to Saturday’s official scorer, Edgin did not earn a victory because his outing was “brief and ineffective.” That’s enough to earn a thumbs down here.
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis: I almost feel bad for Kirk…he’s been pretty unlucky in this space. His 0-for-4 Saturday did not affect the Mets to any great extent, but no one else really struggled. Sorry Kirk — once again, you lose by default.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+2
LHP Jon Niese, C John Buck
+1
OF Collin Cowgill, RHP Matt Harvey, RHP Dillon Gee, INF Justin Turner, RHP Jeremy Hefner, 2B Daniel Murphy, OF Mike Baxter
-1
RHP LaTroy Hawkins, RHP Jeurys Familia, 3B David Wright, 1B Ike Davis, LHP Josh Edgin
-2
RHP Greg Burke, SS Ruben Tejada, OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Mets 11, Padres 2: Three Up, Three Down
Going to try a new segment here for the 2013 season: Three up, Three down. We’ll take a look each day at three players who shined, and three who did not.
So without further ado, here are Three Up, Three down for the Mets’ Opening Day win over the Padres:
Three Up:
1. OF Collin Cowgill: Given plenty of rope as the center field starter, Cowgill doubled and scored in the fourth inning and hit his first career grand slam in the seventh. He said the day would have been better if he had not also struck out twice; we at Mets Cetera will not be nearly so critical.
2. LHP Jon Niese: 6 2/3 innings, two earned runs, four strikeouts, two walks. It was a solid-if-not-spectacular outing for Niese, who made it shine by going 2-for-2 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI at the plate.
3. SS Ruben Tejada: Tejada finished 2-for-4, doubling home a run in the second inning in what manager Terry Collins called the most important at-bat of the game. That was even more critical considering it was Tejada, who hit .096 this spring.
Three Down:
1. 1B Ike Davis: Here we go again? Davis finished 0-for-5 with four strikeouts, the only person in the starting lineup (pitcher included) not to reach base at least twice.
2. PH Jordany Valdespin: The Mets put Valdespin in a dream situation, allowing him to bat with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh inning of a five-run game. He responded by beating the first pitch he saw into the ground for a rally-killing fielder’s choice.
3. OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis: To be fair, Nieuwenhuis does not really deserve to be on this list. But he struck out looking in his only at-bat, and no other Met did much of anything wrong in the blowout. So apologies to Kirk, but life’s not fair.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+1 OF Collin Cowgill
+1 LHP Jon Niese
+1 SS Ruben Tejada
-1 1B Ike Davis
-1 OF Jordany Valdespin
-1 OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Mets set Opening Day rotation
It’s official: here’s who’s pitching for the Mets next week:
April 1 vs. Padres: LHP Jon Niese
April 2: Off Day
April 3 vs. Padres: RHP Matt Harvey
April 4 vs. Padres: RHP Dillon Gee
April 5. vs. Marlins: RHP Jeremy Hefner
April 6. vs. Marlins: LHP Jon Niese
April 7 vs. Marlins: RHP Shaun Marcum
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Ike Davis not among Mets players on the block
Unprompted this week, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson mentioned Jon Niese and Dillon Gee as trade candidates in addition to R.A. Dickey.
But not everyone is up for grabs. The New York Post reported that Ike Davis is unavailable and Daniel Murphy is “unlikely” to be traded, as the Mets do not know how they would replace the offense of either player. If the Mets strike a significant deal, it will be drawing from their strength — starting pitching — to plug up holes in their lineup.
–Anthony DiComo
Niese’s contract extension details
Here is how Jon Niese’s five-year contract breaks down:
2012: $1.02 million
2013: $3 million
2014: $5 million
2015: $7 million
2016: $9 million
2017: $10 million (team option with $500k buyout)
2018: $10.5 million (team option with $500k buyout)
Niese would have been eligible for arbitration from 2013-15 and for free agency in 2016.
Follow me on Twitter: @AnthonyDiComo
Anthony DiComo
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