Game 3: Niese Okay, Offense Not So Much

Marlins 3 - Mets 1 Jon Niese looked pretty good in his first start, but the Mets left their bats at home last night. I was impressed how much mileage Niese got out of his fastball and cutter last night. If he takes what he did last night and mixes in a few more of those big curves he has a real chance to be a really solid major league starting pitcher. He looks clearly more poised than he did in his previous major league starts, and I have a feeling he will stick this time. As for the offense, I guess we can only hope that Jose Reyes' return will spark it up a little. If nothing else, it will rescue Jerry Manuel from himself, batting Cora leadoff. Just a few more scattered thoughts: It's not that Gary Matthews Jr. is doing a bad job, but to my mind Angel Pagan needs to get the majority of ABs in center until Beltran returns. He's just a better hitter, and the Mets need offense. Particularly since I see no appreciable gap in defensive skills. I wonder how much ...