New York Mets lose to Houston Astros 3-6 at Minute Maid Park - MLB Update
Starter Jonathon Niese gives up five runs in three innings and registers his poorest outing of the season, taking the New York Mets to a 3-6 loss against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas on May 1, 2012.
First two innings set the tone for the Astros, as two home runs in back-to-back innings established their dominance in the game.
Niese was withdrawn after three innings and was replaced with Miguel Batista, but damage had been done by then.
Left fielder for the Mets, Kirk Nieuwenhuis did not find any hit and missed all four at-bats he came across. Just similar happened with the shortstop Ruben Tejada.
However regardless of outcome of the games, David Wright is taking the season as an opportunity to pile up hits and add as much to the score as he can. While going 2-for-4 in the game, he leads the Mets’ line-up in slugging percentage which for him stands
at an impressive .566.
Mets’ manager Terry Collins was extremely disappointed at the way relievers walked, instead of launching a counter-attack after all that has happened to their starter Niese in first few innings.
"You just can't put people on and expect to win major league baseball games, especially when you are walking in runs," Collins said. "It's going to come back to burn you."
Niese will rather like to forget the day. Being called up so early in the game was not the kind of outing he will ever bring in his mind before kicking off the proceedings.
"Obviously, the competitiveness in me wanted to stay in the game," he said. "I had put up a zero, and I felt my stuff was good enough to keep the team in the game."
Niese was granted contract extension before start of the season. Ever since a beginning of the season, he has done extremely good job.
Perhaps today’s outing had to remind him of keeping the momentum afloat and not growing complacent.
The Mets will like to arrest any decline from taking a worse shape as more often happens at this time. While taking the loss as only a lesson to come out better next time, they will like to see their pitching staff remembering this the most.
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