Warthen's Words: Nieses to Pieces!

Nieses to Pieces. That's the funny nickname pitching coach Dan Warthen used when he listed the 21-year-old lefthander, Jon Niese, on Tuesday's schedule for his rotation. It turned out to be prophetic.

Niese, the Mets' top pitching prospect, came unglued in his major-league debut. His second pitch of the game was a home run to Rickie Weeks, and Niese ultimately had to be rescued from a Brewers barrage in the fourth inning, when he allowed five straight hits, was charged with four runs and did not get an out.

But in the 10th, it was another rookie, Daniel Murphy, who helped his former teammate at Double-A Binghamton feel a little better. Murphy's pinch-hit single off Salomon Torres ignited a rally that ended with Endy Chavez's sacrifice fly as the Mets prevailed, 6-5, at Miller Park.

"I think the fact that we ended up winning the game, which is the most important thing, was a good thing," said manager Jerry Manuel, whose team squandered an early 5-1 lead. "If it went the other way, I think it would have had an adverse effect [on Niese]."

Source: Newsday