Mets starter Jon Niese reported to yesterday’s camp with a whole new look.  He came in about 10 pounds lighter, but the real story is his new nose.  Yes, apparently Carlos Beltran decided to do the Mets one final favor, and offered to pay for Niese’s rhinoplasty over the offseason.

Carlos nose best... (AP/Adam Rubin)

It’s more than just for looks, too — according to the New York Post, Niese was told that his previously smushed nose had an abnormality in the sinus that was affecting his breathing.  Since being able to breathe seems like a rather important factor in being a successful pro athlete, could this signal a breakout season for the 25-year old lefty?  So far, his career stats are fairly pedestrian: a 22-23 record, with a 4.39 ERA, and a 1.46 WHIP.  Could improved breathing (and thus, better conditioning) + another year in the bigs + a year of Johan Santana’s tutelage (being a crafty lefty himself) = an anchor in the Mets’ rotation?

The New York Mets were defeated by the Philadelphia Phillies 9-4 on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. Before the Mets could blink, the Phillies had a dominating 9-0 lead. Jonathon Niese turned in his worst outing of the season, allowing eight runs on ten hits and one walk through only four innings of work. The Mets offense came alive late in the game, but it was far too late to make considerable damage. The loss takes them to a putrid 60-68 record as they slip closer to last place in the NL East.

Niese is having a rough go as of late.

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The New York Mets defeated the Washington Nationals in an 8-5 victory on Friday night at Nationals Park. The Mets offense put up a four spot in the 1st inning and scattered twelve hits in the game. Dillon Gee pitched 6 2/3 innings allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and four walks while striking out five. The bullpen held on to hand the Mets a five-game winning streak.

These guys just keep on rollin'.

Associated Press

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The New York Mets have worked out a deal on Wednesday to send RF Carlos Beltran to the San Francisco Giants for 21-year old pitching prospect Zack Wheeler and cash considerations. Rumors surfaced all throughout the afternoon as to who the Mets were going to get in return for the two-month rental. Originally, outfielder Gary Brown was speculated as the centerpiece of the deal but later discovered otherwise. The San Francisco Giants are said to have picked up about $2 million of the $6 million left on his contract. Below are Zack Wheeler’s stats for the 2011 season.

This young stud arm, Zack Wheeler, should be wearing blue and orange fairly soon.

Associated Press

As you can see, Wheeler has an enormous strikeout rate at a 10.02 K/9. His walk rates, however, for a guy at the Class A level is less than stellar, walking almost five batters per nine innings. The best thing Mets fans could hope for is that with further seasoning he can work on mitigating his control issues.

In my opinion, Sandy Alderson did a terrific job with this deal. It is a win regardless of how Zack Wheeler develops, but it’d be nice to see him turn into a top-of-the-rotation starter. The trade isn’t official until Thursday afternoon, due to the 24-hour window Carlos Beltran has to decline a team with his no-trade clause. However, the trade is basically official as Beltran has said he would accept a move to the Giants, who are en route to the playoffs.

How do you feel about this trade? Should the Mets have gone after Gary Brown instead?

Gaby Sanchez hit homers in back to back innings, and the Marlins took the middle game of the series.  The Mets fall to an even 50-50 with the loss.

Starters Clay Hensley and Chris Capuano swapped zeros until the 5th inning.  Then, the Mets were finally able to break through against Hensley, who had been dominating them as of late.  With 2 outs in the inning (when all their rallies seemingly get started), Jose Reyes got things started with an infield single.  After Justin Turner and Carlos Beltran walked to load the bases, David Wright smacked a 2-run single through the left side to give the Mets a 2-0 lead.

It all fell apart for Cap in the 6th inning, though.  4 Marlins crossed the plate, including home runs by Gaby Sanchez and Logan Morrison.  D.J. Carrasco didn’t fare much better in the next inning — he allowed 3 runs, including Sanchez’s second home run.  While the Mets would smack 2 solo shots in the 9th, the deficit would be too much to overcome.

(Sarah Glenn/Getty Images)

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The New York Mets failed to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals, as they took a 6-2 loss in one of the shortest games of the season. Albert Pujols set the tone for the game with a quick two-run shot to left field in the 1st inning off Jonathon Niese. A messy 5th put the game away for good. The Mets had six base runners all game and never really posed a threat to rally. 

Niese had a couple of bad innings.

Associated Press

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With Jose Reyes back in the lineup, the New York Mets downed the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 at CitiField Tuesday night. Carlos Beltran had a perfect night, reaching base on five occasions. Dillon Gee turned in seven solid innings to earn his ninth win of the season. The Mets have worked their way back to .500 again for the season as they look to put together a winning streak before the trade deadline.

It's nice to have this guy back in the lineup. Dreadlocks and all...

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The most sought after player at this trade deadline will be none other than outfielder, Carlos Beltran. The 34-year-old is having his best season since 2008, clubbing 13 HRs with 58 RBIs at the break. Defensively, Beltran has posted a UZR of 4.0, one of the top marks among right fielders. Beltran will have roughly six million dollars remaining on his contract when the July 31st deadline hits, so expect Sandy Alderson to field numerous calls. It’s no secret that the San Francisco Giants are interested in Beltran, but here are four other destinations that the switch hitting All-Star could land.

Carlos Loves The Fans

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With the All Star Break underway, the New York Mets are one game above .500 at 46-45 on the season, and trail the wild card leading Atlanta Braves by 7.5 games. The Mets have certainly exceeded expectations thus far in 2011, as most fans would’ve expected them to be way out of the playoff run at this point in the season. Now, this doesn’t mean Mets fans should get crazy excited about making a push for October baseball. Three of the team’s four starting infielders (David Wright, Ike Davis, and Jose Reyes) are currently on the disabled list, and will probably make their return after the trade deadline. But, regardless, the Mets have played very nice baseball over the first 91 games of the season, and I’m going to evaluate the areas that deserve the most credit.

Terry Collins deserves much of the credit for a winning baseball team in Queens.

Associated Press

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Scott Hairston broke a 2-2 tie in the 9th inning with a pinch-hit solo shot off Brian Wilson, and the Mets took the first game of this weekend series.  The Mets’ record now improves to 46-43.  They are now 11-5 over their last 16 games, and 5-1 since Jose Reyes went down.

R.A. Dickey found himself in yet another pitcher’s duel, this one with Ryan Vogelsong.  Down 1-0 in the 4th, Angel Pagan put the Mets ahead with a 2-run homer over the massive right field wall.  A Nate Schierholtz solo shot (into McCovery Cove) in the 6th knotted the game up until the 9th.

Save #23 was a pretty easy one (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

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