Flushing, NY (Sports Network) – Jonathon Niese threw a one-hit shutout, retiring the final 21 batters he faced, as the New York Mets earned a 3-0 win over the San Diego Padres to get a split of their day/night doubleheader at Citi Field.
Niese (3-2), in just his 18th major league start, gave up just a double to Chris Denorfia in the third inning. The southpaw didn’t allow another base runner as he fanned six batters. Niese threw 108 pitches, 76 for strikes, in the first complete game of his career.
It’s the first time a Met has gone the distance this year and it marked the 26th one-hitter in team history, and the first since Aaron Heilman turned the trick against the Marlins, on April 15, 2005.
Jose Reyes had three hits and scored once, while Ike Davis had a pair of hits and an RBI.
Jon Garland (6-4) was charged with eight hits and three runs over six innings to lose his second straight start.
In the day game, David Eckstein went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, as the Padres earned a 4-2 win, snapping the Mets’ nine-game home winning streak.
Niese retired the side in order in the first and second innings with five ground ball outs. Denorfia led off the third with a double to right, but Niese held the Padres off the bases the rest of the night.
Meanwhile, the Mets scored once in the second and twice in the third. Chris Carter led off the second with a double and went to third on a single by Rod Barajas before Jeff Francoeur’s base hit to right brought in the first run.
Niese walked to start the third and an error helped put men on second and third. Reyes bunted for a base hit, but catcher Yorvit Torrealba committed a throwing error. Jesus Feliciano grounded out before David Wright’s groundout plated the second run. Davis followed with an RBI single to right field.
The Mets had a bases-loaded threat turned away in the sixth when Ruben Tejada grounded out.
Niese got Denorfia to ground out to third to end the eighth and then continued to pound the strike zone in the ninth, retiring pinch-hitter Nick Hundley and Jerry Hairston Jr. on foul pop-ups to end the game.
The Mets are one of just three teams to never have a no-hitter thrown in team history. The others are Tampa Bay and San Diego…The Mets won two of the three games in this series.