Mets Have A Fearsome Threesome In Their Rotation

Jonathon Niese pitched eight innings of one-run ball in Tuesday's 11-1 victory over the Phillies, improving his record to 7-3 on the season and lowering his ERA to 3.35.  Since allowing four home runs in Toronto on May 18, Niese has been outstanding, going 5-1 with a 2.17 ERA and 1.09 WHIP.

With all the talk surrounding R.A. Dickey's historic start and Johan Santana's unlikely comeback from his season-squelching injury, Niese's great year has been largely overlooked.  But his name belongs right up there with Dickey and Santana.

Combined, the Mets' fearsome threesome is 25-8 with a 2.72 ERA and 1.06 WHIP.  They also have 297 strikeouts while issuing only 90 walks.

The Mets have had numerous instances where they've had a dominant front end of the rotation.  Take a look at these special trios in Mets history:

• 1969: Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry (55-28, 2.61 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 542 Ks)
• 1976: Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Jon Matlack (52-31, 2.74 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 588 Ks)
• 1986: Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling, Bob Ojeda (50-17, 2.75 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 532 Ks)
• 1988: Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling, David Cone (55-21, 2.90 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 549 Ks)
• 1990: Dwight Gooden, Frank Viola, David Cone (53-29, 3.23 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 638 Ks)

Now compare that to what Dickey, Santana and Niese have accomplished over the team's first 81 games.  If they continue this pace over their final 81 games, these are what their final numbers would look like:

• 2012: R.A. Dickey, Johan Santana, Jonathon Niese (50-16, 2.72 ERA, 1.06 ERA, 594 Ks)

This year's pitching trio matches up very well with the five threesomes listed above.  For the record, all five Mets teams listed above won at least 86 games in the years they boasted their stellar top three in the rotation and three of the five advanced to the playoffs.

Will the 2012 Mets follow those playoff-bound teams from the past?  We won't know until the final 81 games are played.  But if Dickey, Santana and Niese continue to pitch they way they did in the season's first half, the rest of the National League better watch out.  Because if the Mets continue this ride into October, where most teams go with three-man rotations, they could be very hard to beat.