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Niese makes debut as Mets take on Brewers

Sep 2, 2008 - 1:48 PM NY Mets (77-61) at Milwaukee (80-57) 8:05 p.m. EDT

MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- In the midst of a tight division race, the New York Mets have decided to throw one of their best young arms into the mix.

Jonathan Niese will make his major league debut when the Mets take on the Milwaukee Brewers in the middle game of a three-game series on Tuesday.

Niese, 21, has spent the season with Class AA Binghamton and Class AAA New Orleans. On the season, the lefthander is 11-8 with a 3.13 ERA, but has posted a 5-1 record with a 3.40 ERA in seven starts since being called up to New Orleans on July 30.

He will be filling in for John Maine, who was put on the disabled list on August 24 with a bone spur in his right throwing shoulder.

The Brewers send Manny Parra (10-6, 4.00) to the mound, a day after Ben Sheets was removed from his start. Sheets, who had allowed just two hits in five shutout innings on Monday, left the game with a 2-0 lead because of tightness in his left groin.

New York went on to score four runs against the Milwaukee bullpen en route to a 4-2 win in the series opener.

Since jumping out to a 9-2 start on the season, Parra has struggled over most of last month and a half, going 1-4 with a 4.83 ERA

The rookie lefthander is coming off a solid outing on August 27, a start in which he allowed just one run in six innings, but received a no-decision in a 5-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.