Niese Fans Nine

Ryan McConnell at MiLB.com writes about Jon Niese and his outing against Brevard County:

Niese (1-0) gave up one hit over six innings as St. Lucie blanked visiting Brevard County, 8-0, in Game 1 of the Florida State League first-round series Tuesday.

The 20-year-old left-hander, who faced the Manatees (0-1) for the first time this season, walked Darren Ford and Lorenzo Cain to start the game.

"I thought I had the first guy, but I lost my focus on the second guy," said Niese, who went 11-7 with a 4.29 ERA in 27 starts this season. "I was getting kind of nervous after those [walks]."