NEW YORK (AP) — Jonathon Niese pitched brilliantly in his return from the disabled list and David Wright hit a rare homer at Citi Field, sending the New York Mets to a 6-1 victory over the Florida Marlins on Saturday.
Wright drove in three runs and rookie Ike Davis went 4 for 4 to break out of a mini-slump as New York improved to 21-9 at home with its seventh straight win here. Jeff Francoeur had an RBI single and Ruben Tejada a run-scoring double off Nate Robertson (4-5), who beat the Mets twice this season.
Niese (2-2) scattered six hits over seven innings for his first career win in nine starts at Citi Field. The 23-year-old left-hander had been sidelined since straining his right hamstring early in a 10-8 loss at Florida on May 16. He entered 0-2 with a 5.63 ERA against the Marlins this year.
Jenrry Mejia and Fernando Nieve finished the seven-hitter for the Mets, who have won 17 of 21 at spacious Citi Field, which opened last year. New York, which is 8-18 on the road, has taken the first two games of a three-game series after dropping six meetings in a row to the Marlins.
Looking sharp after one minor league rehab assignment, Niese struck out six, walked one and induced a pair of inning-ending double plays. He did not go to a three-ball count until facing Jorge Cantu leading off the seventh.
Davis doubled to start the second, ending an 0-for-9 skid. Francoeur had an RBI single later in the inning and Tejada, who has delivered a surprising offensive spark since coming up from the minors Friday, cracked a run-scoring double off the left-field fence.
Angel Pagan hit a leadoff double in the third and scored on Davis' one-out single. Wright followed with a long drive onto a second-tier balcony in the left-field corner for his 10th home run this season — and first at Citi Field since connecting off Florida ace Josh Johnson on opening day.
Davis doubled again with two outs in the fifth and scored on Wright's single, making it 6-0. Davis also singled leading off the eighth.
Dan Uggla doubled in the seventh and scored on Ronny Paulino's single, spoiling Niese's shutout bid.
Robertson yielded six runs and seven hits in 4 2-3 innings. He is 0-2 in four starts since beating the Mets on May 15.
NOTES: Marlins C John Baker and pitcher Renyel Pinto both were slated to make rehab appearances for Class-A Jupiter on Saturday. ... To make room on the roster for Niese, the Mets put struggling LHP Oliver Perez on the 15-day disabled list with patella tendinitis in his right knee. ... The Mets have not allowed a home run at Citi Field in eight games. ... Davis is slated to ring the NASDAQ Opening Bell on Monday, the morning of the first-year player draft, along with Hall of Famers Tommy Lasorda, Frank Robinson and Billy Williams. Davis was the 18th overall selection in the 2008 draft. ... Mets CF Carlos Beltran, recovering from offseason knee surgery, went 1 for 5 with an RBI single and two walks as the DH in his second extended spring training game. ... Davis' four hits were a career best.
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