Jonathon Niese News

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson knows how long Mets fans have been waiting for their team to do more than tear down and rebuild.

After dropping the first two games of the series, the Red Sox fell into an early 2-0 hole before bouncing back.

Scott Feldman tossed seven solid innings and knocked in two runs, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the New York Mets, 5-2, in the second test of a three-game series.

MLB Team Report - New York Mets - INSIDE PITCH The Mets are making final preparations for Zack Wheeler's arrival, now officially set for Tuesday in Atlanta.

Jun 9, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jonathon Niese pitches against the Miami Marlins during the third inning of a game at Citi Field.

Schierholtz looks to continue his hot hitting and help the Cubs win for the sixth time in seven road games against the New York Mets on Saturday.

METS vs. CHICAGO CUBS Friday: RHP Shaun Marcum vs. RHP Edwin Jackson , 7:10 p.m. ET Saturday: LHP Jonathon Niese vs. RHP Scott Feldman , 1:10 p.m. ET Sunday: RHP Jeremy Hefner vs. RHP Matt Garza , 1:10 p.m. ET Cubs short hops Matt Garza is the most logical Cub to be traded before the July 31 trade deadline, ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine reports.

It's no secret that Dillon Gee is throwing under pressure. He's battling for his spot in the rotation -- a spot that Zack Wheeler could occupy in the coming weeks -- but he's also battled injury.

With Matt Harvey's lower-back tightness no longer an issue, both he and Mets manager Terry Collins declared yesterday the ace right-hander is set to start Thursday against the Cardinals.

Bullpen use will be at a premium Sunday when the Miami Marlins and New York Mets close a rain-shortened two-game series.

RHP Tom Koehler vs. LHP Jonathon Niese : Still looking for his first major league win, Koehler since joining the rotation on May 12 is 0-4 with a 3.90 ERA, seven walks and 19 strikeouts in 30 innings .

The New York Mets managed to get much younger in the 2013 MLB draft. The Mets selected high school players with their first four picks before dipping into the college ranks.

The Mets plan to summon Triple-A right-handed reliever David Aardsma in time for this afternoon's game against the Marlins, a source told The Post.

The matchup of young pitching sensations Matt Harvey of the Mets and Jose Fernandez of the Marlins was pushed back a day to Saturday.

"Well, this is good," said Washington manager Davey Johnson, looking at the weather radar on the computer monitor in his office.

RHP Jose Fernandez vs. RHP Matt Harvey : Facing the Mets for the fourth time, Fernandez is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA, five walks and 20 strikeouts in 16 innings against them.

Faith and Fear in Flushing made its debut on Feb. 16, 2005, the brainchild of two longtime friends and lifelong Met fans.

"I told Reck I was feeling good in BP," Byrd said. "And I was joking around with him, I said, 'Hey, if I get some pitches tonight, I'm going to hit two home runs.'

Jonathon Niese emerged from his throwing session Wednesday feeling "pretty confident" about his prospects of rejoining the rotation on Saturday against the Marlins.

Russell Martin believes he is capable of playing any position on the field. He might get the chance to prove it.