Davis, Wright help power Niese, Mets past Marlins
New York Mets third baseman David Wright (5) hits an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning against the Florida Marlins. (June 5, 2010) Credit: Christopher Pasatieri
The Mets made sure Jonathon Niese's return to the rotation was a smooth one.
Ike Davis snapped an 0-for-9 skid by going 4-for-4 with three runs scored and David Wright drilled a two-run home run -- his 10th of the season and first at Citi Field since Opening Day - to lead the Mets to a 6-1 victory over the Marlins in front of 37,165 Saturday.
It was the 17th home win in 21 games for the Mets, who improved to 29-27.
But as impressive as the Mets' hitters were yesterday, Niese's performance was even more striking. The young lefty, who was activated from the 15-day disabled list before the game, gave up just one run on six hits through seven innings.
It was the first start for Niese since he strained his right hamstring on May 16 while fielding a bunt in the third inning of a 10-8 loss to the Marlins. He underwent surgery to repair a tear in that same hamstring Aug. 6 and missed the final two months of the 2009 season.
Though he entered the game with a 5.63 ERA in two losing efforts against Florida, Niese was in control from the start yesterday.
He retired the first four batters he faced and worked his way out of trouble in the second inning after giving up back-to-back singles to Dan Uggla and Cody Ross by striking out Ronny Paulino and getting Cameron Maybin to ground into a force out to end the inning.
Trouble found Niese again in the seventh as Uggla (2-for-4) doubled to leftfield, reached third on a wild pitch and scored on a Paulino single to centerfield. But Niese mitigated the Marlins threat by striking out Maybin and forcing an inning-ending groundout from pinch-hitter Wes Helms.
Manager Jerry Manuel said before the game he expected Niese to throw a minimum of 80 pitches and had no restrictions on the lefthander.
"Obviously, the pitch count would most be most determined by his performance, and we'll have to watch him closely," said Manuel. "But for the most part, there aren't any limitations. He should be strong."
And that he was.
Davis, who improved his average to .268, doubled to centerfield to lead off the bottom of the second, then scored on an RBI single by Jeff Francoeur (2-for-4), who extended his hitting streak to nine games dating back to May 27. Ruben Tejada, who picked up his first Major League RBI on Friday, collected another in the inning, doubling in Wright to give the Mets a 2-0 lead.
They broke the game open an inning later, courtesy of a Davis RBI single that scored Angel Pagan, and Wright's two-run homer, which sailed 410 feet over the leftfield wall.
