Now that is quality. Depending on how Pedro Martinez does against the Astros on Friday and beyond and how Carlos Muniz or Joe Smith fares in the bullpen over the next few weeks, I am absolutely convinced we will see Niese making a few appearances for the Mets in the near future.
The 21 year old continues to impress, as he was recently promoted to AAA. A few more starts like these, and he'll be up in no time.
** * **
A 0.5 game out at the end of July. If you had told me that's where the Mets would be two months ago, I would have scoffed at you, called you crazy, and called up a mental institution. Now, I would be asking what tomorrow's lottery numbers will be.
I will take it. The Mets, Phillies, and Marlins are all in contention, and it's going to be a very exciting two months of baseball. With the way the NL Centra is playing, it looks like if one of these teams wants to make it to the postseason, they're going to have to win the division. No fallback to the wildcard for the NL East.
If Ryan Church could return to form, the Mets will be in great shape. The bullpen has struggled lately, but I'd rather them sift through their troubles now than in late September. It's going to be a dogfight.