WASHINGTON — Jon Niese will return to the mound Sunday on five days’ rest for the Mets, but might be headed toward a bigger break afterward.
Manager Terry Collins said before the Mets’ 8-7 come-from-behind win that Niese could be dealing with arm fatigue, and the left-hander may get six or seven days off following his next start, against the Braves.
Niese had a third straight brutal start on Monday, when he allowed five runs in the fourth inning in the Mets’ 8-5 victory over the Nationals. It was the third straight start for Niese in which he allowed five runs in an inning. He has pitched to a 10.53 ERA over his last four starts.
Noah Syndergaard, who was skipped a start Sunday in Miami to receive extra rest, will be reinserted into the rotation on Saturday against the Braves. Steven Matz, who started in Syndergaard’s place against the Marlins, is slated for Friday night.
With Carlos Torres expected to be sidelined a minimum of one or two weeks, the Mets selected the contract of Tim Stauffer from Triple-A Las Vegas to fill the long relief role.
Torres is wearing a walking boot after straining his left calf Monday. Stauffer, 33, has spent parts of 10 seasons in the major leagues with the Twins and Padres.
Lucas Duda was in the Mets’ starting lineup for the first time since Aug. 21. The first baseman, who missed 2 ½ weeks recovering from a strained lower back, went 0-for-3 with an RBI on a bases-loaded walk in the Mets’ 8-7 win.
Michael Cuddyer, who received a cortisone shot Sunday for tendinitis in his left wrist, was expected to take swings against soft toss before Tuesday’s game.
Bartolo Colon was named NL Player of the Week after extending his scoreless inning streak to 25 on Saturday in Miami. The 42-year-old Colon is the oldest player with a scoreless streak of that length since Hoyt Wilhelm, at 44, pitched 25 ¹/₃ straight scoreless innings as a reliever in 1967.
The Mets released their 2016 schedule, which features interleague games against the AL Central. The Mets will open the season in Kansas City on April 4 before playing their home opener four days later against the Phillies. There will be four Subway Series games next season, played in succession beginning on Aug. 1 at Citi Field.
The final two games will be played at Yankee Stadium.
Collins praised lefty reliever Dario Alvarez for the manner in which the rookie — in his first appearance of the season Monday — handled Nationals slugger Bryce Harper.
After falling behind 3-0 in the count, Alvarez rebounded to strike out Harper on a filthy side-arm pitch.
“We thought that was a situation, with nobody on, that would be good for [Alvarez],” Collins said. “We basically told him, ‘Do not give into this guy and throw him a cookie, because he will do damage with it.’ And he threw him good pitches.”
