New York Mets Series Preview vs. Milwaukee Brewers June 23rd-25th

Last Hurrah For Niese?

Jun 17, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Mets starting pitcher

(49) delivers a pitch against Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

You can never have too much pitching they always say. But what happens when you cannot find a spot for all that pitching, and some of the talent is stuck waiting in Triple-A? That is something the Mets are now dealing with, as Steven Matz remains in Las Vegas because there isn’t a spot open for him on the major league team. Designating Dillon Gee for assignment was the first step, but the Mets still need to figure out what to do with Jon Niese.

Niese has been relatively ineffective for the Mets since his strong start to the season. Since he faced off with the Cubs on June 12, Niese has seen his ERA increase from 1.95 to 4.21, pitching to a 6.30 ERA during that span. Because of the poor performances, the speculation about Matz being called up has intensified, as the Mets could use another infusion of talent at this point to spark the team.

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Niese has delivered three quality starts in a row, but the Mets have won only one of those games. In fact, that win is the only one they have in any of the last seven starts that he has made this season. If he is to hold off Matz longer, he will need to start pitching better. The Mets do not have much longer to wait around, so if Niese cannot defeat the Brewers this could be the last time we see him starting a game.

Terry Collins has said in the past that he will not move Niese to the bullpen, which could still be his thinking. But that is something they can worry about once and if Matz is called up and the Mets are unable to find a trade partner with Niese, which is looking like an extremely tall task.

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