Niese throws one-hitter to earn doubleheader split

The Mets lost the opener of yesterday's day-night doubleheader in frustrating fashion. They once again didn't score for Johan Santana and fell to the Padres at Citi Field, 4-2.

The game ended a little before 4 p.m., so the players had three hours to get ready for the nightcap. Three hours to think about how much better they would feel with a victory in Game 2 and with a 5-1 homestand to take on an interleague road trip through Baltimore, Cleveland and Yankee Stadium.

In the night game, the Mets overcame a triple play hit into by Ruben Tejada and beat the Padres, 3-0.

Jonathan Niese, in his second start off the disabled list, pitched the best game of his career and one of the best games in Mets history. He allowed one baserunner - a clean double to rightfield leading off the third inning by Chris Denorfia - for the 34th one-hitter in Mets history. The Mets have never had a no-hitter.

"I really wasn't thinking about it during the game," said Niese, who got a postgame pie in the face courtesy of Angel Pagan. "I wasn't told until after the game that if it wasn't for that [double] it would have been a perfect game. It crushed me."

Niese (3-2, 3.61 ERA) retired 21 in a row after the hit. He struck out six and threw 108 pitches in his first career complete game. "Outstanding," manager Jerry Manuel said. "Very quick. Clean. Can't ask for anything more. He's commanding all of his pitches and he's a very confident young man right now."

Tejada bounced into the rather routine looking 5-5-4-3 triple play in the second inning. With the Mets leading 1-0 and runners on first and second, his grounder to third was fielded by Chase Headley, who stepped on the bag and threw to second for the second out. Second baseman Lance Zawadzki fired to first for the third out - and it wasn't close.

It was the 10th triple play the Mets have hit into and first since Jeff Francoeur ended a game against the Phillies last Aug. 23 by lining into an unassisted triple play in the ninth inning.

In the opener, Henry Blanco hit a two-run home run to give the Mets the lead in the second inning. That would be their last hit - and baserunner - of the afternoon. San Diego pitchers retired the final 22 Mets.

Not scoring in bunches is nothing new for the Mets when Santana pitches. The Mets have lost five of his last six starts, though this was his first defeat in that group of games. He's 1-1 with a 1.47 ERA in the span; the Mets have scored six runs in the five defeats.

But they gave Santana a 2-0 lead when Blanco hit his second homer of the season off Mat Latos (6-4, 3.24), who went six innings. Santana (4-3, 2.96) extended his scoreless streak to 18 2/3 innings before the Padres scored with one out in the fourth. He was pitching on seven days' rest because of off days and Wednesday's rainout. He walked four batters from the fourth through seventh innings and three of them scored. He said he felt "weird" out there. Said Manuel, "I think the layoff probably hurt him more than anything."

Said Santana: "I don't blame it on that. I was very inconsistent today and they took advantage of it."

The Mets were shut down by Latos, who has won five of his last six decisions, and three relievers. He allowed an infield single to Jose Reyes in the first and Blanco's home run. That was it.

Padres pitchers struck out 12 Mets, eight by Latos. The Mets had won nine in a row at home.

Manuel rested Jason Bay and Pagan in the night game. Jesus Feliciano started in center and went 0-for-4; the 31-year-old rookie struck out in the eighth inning of the opener as a pinch hitter in his first big-league at-bat.