Niese loses no-no, but Mets earn sweep of Braves

Niese loses no-no, but Mets earn sweep of Braves

Robert Sabo/New York Daily News

Jonathon Niese carries a no-hitter into the seventh inning Sunday at Citi Field, but his bid for the Mets’ first no-no is broken up by Freddy Freeman in the seventh.

METS 7, BRAVES 5

It suddenly didnt seem so crazy the way the first weekend of the season was improbably unfolding for the Mets one in which they couldnt lose, while the Yankees couldnt win.

Perhaps this was it, if ever there was an appropriate time for Jonathon Niese to flirt with finally becoming the first pitcher in team history to throw a no-hitter.

But alas, every day cant be Christmas. Or even Niese-ter.

Just three days before the 50th anniversary of the first 7,971 regular-season games in the Mets existence, Niese did not allow a hit until the seventh inning of what turned out to be a series-sweeping 7-5 win over Atlanta at Citi Field.

It would have been nice, said Niese, who in the seventh was charged with four runs (two earned). The seventh inning I just kind of left the ball up and paid for itIt spiraled real quickly at the end.

Still, more importantly, it didnt completely spiral in infamous Mets fashion.

The third straight stro ng pitching performance by the starting staff and a revamped bullpen left the first-place Mets a perfect 3-0 for the first time since winning their first four games in the ill-fated 2007 campaign.

And yes, this marks just the third season (with 1973 and 1985) in which the Mets have started 3-0 and the Yankees 0-3.

This means everything. Weve done a lot of talking in spring training about getting ready to compete and to prepare to compete, Terry Collins said. I told these guys in our first meeting, You are professional baseball players. There are expectations in this town and in this clubhouse. So get yourselves ready to play. And theyve done that.

David Wright and Jason Bay drove in the first two runs Sunday with sacrifice flies, Daniel Murphy added a two-run double in the fifth, and Ruben Tejada rapped a career-high four hits as the Mets pounded Braves lefty Mike Minor and three relievers.

Manny Acosta coughed up a solo ho mer to Brian McCann to end the bullpens scoreless run to open the season, but new closer Frank Francisco worked another 1-2-3 ninth for his third save in as many games.

Its been great, its all-around good baseball, Niese said. Our hitters are coming through and the bullpen has been fantastic.

For Niese, who officially signed a five-year contract extension worth $ 25.5 million this weekend, it was his first regular-season start since he strained an intercostal muscle on Aug. 23.

The lefty stressed that the contract had absolutely nothing to do with feeling amped up as he issued three of his four walks over the first two innings. But Niese began pounding the strike zone with low-90s fastballs in the third, and retired the next 15 Braves he faced until Dan Uggla worked a 10-pitch walk leading off the seventh with the Mets sporting a 7-0 lead.

With Nieses pitch count up to 99, Freddie Freeman followed with a clean first-pitch single to right for Atlantas first hit, prompting a standing ovation for Niese from the home crowd. The Braves plated four runs in the inning; right fielder Lucas Duda lost Matt Diazs fly in the sun for an error and Jason Heyward ripped a two-run double to center on Nieses last pitch of the day.

He wouldve come out of the game anyway, Collins said when asked if he planned to allow Niese to go beyond his projected pitch count of 115. You dont sacrifice his health for an inning. So he wouldve been out. Its very hard, very tough . . . but I dont think he was going to get to go the distance.

Niese, who was charged with two earned runs over six-plus innings, countered that he wouldve just run out there if the no-no was intact. Well never know, as the Mets remain one of only two major-league franchises (with San Diego) to never throw one.

For now, the Mets will have to settle for being one of a handful of undefeated teams across baseball ente ring Mondays series opener against Washington.

We have a lot of work ahead of us, Collins said. We have a long way to goBut weve got a good club. Weve been saying that, a good team, and we have to keep doing it on a regular basis.