With Maine back on DL, Niese may get the call

By Ted Mero on August 26th, 2008 1:06 PM
This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 at 1:06 pm and is filed under Baseball, Mets Rumors & News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Can Jon Niese join the Mets’ rotation and become what Daniel Murphy has been for the team’s outfield?

It appears the 21-year-old lefty will have that chance, as Niese will reportedly make his big-league debut on Sept. 2 against the Brewers. With John Maine returning to the DL to rest his sore pitching shoulder — a repreive that is expected to last for at least three weeks — the Mets will again look to their farm system for help as they try to hold off the Fightin’ Phils.

If recent history is any indication, with the emergence of Murphy (batting .339 with 12 RBIs in 22 games), Niese may thrive in the face of his new challenge. The pitcher is 5-1 with a 3.65 ERA in six starts with Triple-A New Orleans.

With a low-90s fastball and a major-league curve and splitter, the 6-foot-3 southpaw may be able to mix up hitters in the short-term, as they adjust to seeing a new pitcher for the first time. Of course, you never know how a young pitcher is going to respond to being thrust into a pennant race, but it seems he gives them a better shot than a banged-up Maine for the time being.

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