That Familiar, Flummoxed Look

Jon Niese had started 177 games for the Mets between 2008 and 2015. Sometimes, he was quite good. Others, he was OK, if not great. Then, there were times when he was really bad. Something would go wrong and he'd just lose his shit and start throwing slop all over the place and get raked all over the yard. Then, he'd get pulled from the game and walk around the dugout yelling and pouting and moping. By 2015, this sort of Jon Niese outing had become so commonplace that everyone stopped listening to Niese, and so we'd have shots of him after getting his ass kicked again just sitting in the dugout screaming at nobody in particular. He'd have some slight amount of redemption pitching in relief in the Postseason, and as someone who did survive the Six Years of Met Wilderness that was kind of nice, but there really wasn't a place for him on the team going forward.

And now, mysteriously, that space has reappeared and he's back and starting games and nothing's changed. Niese is getting raked over the coals, the Mets are getting sunk and here he is screaming in the dugout again.

I guess it typifies the way this year has unraveled for the Mets that we're back to Jon Niese in the rotation because it wasn't supposed to happen this way. We were done with Niese. Now, we're not done with him. What we are done with, fortunately (SEGUE MASTER) are the Diamondbacks. And not soon enough. I know that the Mets can have a "thing" with a certain team during a season but this year's season series with the Diamondbacks has just been ridiculous. This is a team that's been a total bottom-feeder all season long. Somehow, they saw the Mets and it's like their switch flipped. They started stealing bases and banging doubles and just embarrassing the Mets. Then, they went to Boston and turned back into pumpkins. But when the Mets came to visit them in Arizona, same thing. At least the Mets won a game on Tuesday but Wednesday was just the coup de grace, as not only did the Diamondbacks beat up Niese, but they also beat up every reliever en route to a 13-5 humiliation that only ended up 13-5 because Rene Rivera hit a 3-run Home Run in the 9th inning. When it counted, the Mets did nothing. For the 6 games, Arizona I believe hit about .440 against the Mets, and slugged .874. They hit 41 Home Runs and stole 27 bases, while outscoring the Mets 66-10.

These are the sort of things that happen when your season has just gone off the rails. But I hope the Mets as a team remember this the next time they see the Diamondbacks and their cake frosting-colored jerseys. This really shouldn't sit well with anyone.