Just Mets

Once upon a time and not too long ago, onlookers viewed Jon Niese as the loose wheel in the Mets rotation.

He went through arguably the worst stretch of his career between May 14 and May 30, going 0-3 with an unsightly 9.00 ERA in 20 innings over only four starts. The opposition had clocked him to the tune of a .344 opposing batting average, five home runs, 31 hits and six walks during that span.

This stretch of games raised questions about his health, value and overall sustainability as a member of the Mets rotation.

But Niese insisted his arm felt fine, and that he simply needed to make some adjustments to get his two-seamer back below the belt and his cutter and curveball to bend in over the inside corner to right-handed hitters.

It’s safe to say he has done just that.

Niese continues to string one fantastic start after the next since that rocky road he was on in the second half of May. He was brilliant for seven innings on Monday night against the Rockies, allowing only a two-run home run to the red hot Carlos Gonzalez on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts in seven innings.

“I’ll tell you what. His games are as important as any of those other guys who have been out there,” manager Terry Collins said.

For a while, it seemed as though Niese was headed for his tenth loss of the year, as the Mets offense mustered just one hit against Jon Gray through the first six innings.

But the Mets singled, drew two walks and a hit batsman to tie the score at two apiece against the Rockies bullpen in the seventh, followed by a huge two-run single by Daniel Murphy to give the Mets a two-run lead and seal Niese’s seventh win of the season.

“It’s good to know that with our offense right now, at any given point, they can blow up and score three or four runs in an inning,” a pleased Niese said after the win. “It’s a good feeling to know that one mistake isn’t gonna cost you the game.”

In 12 starts since June 5, Niese has gone 4-4 with a 2.76 ERA in 78 1/3 innings with only 20 walks and six home runs allowed during that span.

Needless to say, Niese has been anything but serve as a loose wheel in the Mets rotation.

To put that ERA in perspective, Matt Harvey has a 2.66 ERA in his last 12 starts, and Noah Syndergaard has a 3.41 ERA in his last 12 starts.

In other words, Niese has been on-par with the young starting pitchers for most of the season, at worst.

Should the problem present itself, the Mets will have a very interesting problem with their rotation for the playoffs. Niese has proved he is worthy to be in that rotation without question. But, the Mets will likely use four starters maximum in a division series, and certainly no more than four in a seven-game series.

But these are problems for when the air cools off.