Mets’ Jon Niese Leaves First Inning Of 7-4 Win Over Cardinals With Knee Injury

Jon Niese lasted only 21 pitches before an achy left knee forced him to the clubhouse in the first inning of the Mets’ road game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night, although New York ultimately came away with a 7-4 victory.

Mets’ Jon Niese Leaves First Inning Of 7-4 Win Over Cardinals With Knee Injury

The Mets starter appeared to be in pain from the very first at-bat of the game, and limped a few batters later. His pitches began looking worse. He ended up facing only four batters.

“After he walked the first guy, I said there’s something wrong here,” said Mets Manager Terry Collins, who knew Niese had been battling a knee injury for months. The lefty is now on the disabled list.

The Mets now have their first three-game winning streak since the first week of July.

Wilmer Flores opened scoring with a three-run homer to left field off Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia in the top of the first. Garcia, who opened his night with a leadoff walk, struggle for the rest of Tuesday’s game. Two-out RBI hits from Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera broke a tie in the second, and Justin Ruggiano smacked a fastball for a home run in the fourth, Garcia’s final inning. Reyes, Cabrera, Yoenis Cespedes and Flores, the Mets’ 1-4 hitters, combined for nine hits, five runs scored and five RBIs.

“Today was just an overall struggle,” said Garcia, who tied his season high with six runs allowed. “I wasn’t able to keep the ball down. I wasn’t able to get ahead in the count. It was one of those days where I was battling down there and didn’t have a good feeling.”

Collins, meanwhile, used every Mets reliever except Hansel Robles to win Tuesday’s game. Rookie Robert Gsellman, who was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas, helped lead the New York bullpen.

“That was my first time ever coming out of the bullpen, so it felt kind of awkward,” Gsellman said. “But I took the mound the same way I started. I just thought I was starting the game again.”

The Mets intended to use Gsellman, a starter in the minor leagues, as a long reliever, possibly, behind Niese or Seth Lugo, who is scheduled to start on Thursday for the injured Steven Matz. The team warned Gsellman about Niese’s knee and a few batters into Tuesday’s game, he began warming up.

“That’s a tough spot, even for a veteran, to come out in the first inning and guys on,” Collins said of Gsellman. “Very, very impressive.”

Niese said he had been dealing with the injury since June, had had it drained, and had received cortisone shots.

“I think I lead the league in MRIs on this thing,” said Niese regarding his knee.

Ruggiano’s fourth-inning solo shot traveled a projected 461 feet, the longest by a Met in the Statcast era.

Yadier Molina gave Gsellman no time to settle in, as the Cardinals catcher jumped on the first pitch of Gsellman’s major league career and smacked it to deep center for an RBI double. The hit helped St. Louis answer the Mets’ three-run first with their own three-run frame. Molina, who leads all MLB catchers with 28 doubles this season, recorded his third and seventh-inning singles on the first pitches of those at-bats, too.

With his sixth-inning solo shot, Randal Grichuk bumped the Cardinals’ home run streak to 12 straight games. That’s five short of the team’s season high set back in July. . As far as personal streaks go, reliever Alex Reyes, who threw 2 1/3 innings, remains un-scored upon since making his Major League debut.

“I feel like I’ve been throwing the ball well, just commanding the ball and keeping the ball down and executing the pitches that I have to,” Reyes said.

The two teams will face off for the second game of their three-game series at Busch Stadium on Wednesday night. Right-hander Jacob deGrom will take the mound for the Mets (63-62, 3rd in NL East).

Cardinals (66-58, 2nd in NL Central) righty Carlos Martinez will start against the Mets for the fourth time of his career.

ST. LOUIS, MO – AUGUST 24: Starter Jonathon Niese #49 of the New York Mets pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Busch Stadium on August 24, 2016 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)