Jonathon Niese has developed into a franchise star for the New York Mets over the past few years. He has been one of their more consistent and reliable arms, but is struggling to keep pace in 2014. Niese is in the midst of the longest losing streak of his career behind a Mets lineup that cannot get any runs. Now the pitcher looks to bounce back as New York aims to take three of four games from the Philadelphia Phillies.
Niese is 5-8 on the season with a 3.51 ERA and simply has not been the same pitcher since coming off the disabled list. Niese put up a 3.54 ERA in his first 54 starts and followed that up with a 2.88 ERA in his first 16 starts of this season/ However, he landed on the disabled list following complaints of shoulder discomfort and has not found his strive since. The pitcher has dropped four straight starts with a 5.76 ERA. In his last game on Wednesday he gave up six runs over six innings in the loss to the Washington Nationals. Losing five straight would be a career high.
The Mets need a bounce back from Niese. The have a chance to win the series against the Phillies despite blowing Sunday's game. The team blew a five-run lead, ending their five-game win streak. Ryan Howard his swing in the bottom of ninth, getting the walk-off single. He been sluggish over the past month. Chase Utley also contributed with a home run and three RBIs.
The Phillies will start David Buchanan who is 6-5 on the season with a 4.39 ERA. He was inserted into the rotation when Cliff Lee once again went down with an injury. The rookie has not allowed over three runs in his last seven starts. He did give up three runs in six innings to the Mets back in May.
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