JUPITER, Fla. -- Mets outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis spent his 28th birthday on the disabled list.
Just a little over a month ago -- on July 12 to be precise -- he was the toast of New York, if only for one incredible night in which he hit three homers in a 5-3 win over the D-backs.
Those were the only three homers Nieuwenhuis has hit in 101 at-bats in the Majors this season. And his peaks-and-valleys season -- he was picked up in May by the Angels, where he played 10 games before returning to the Mets -- hit another low point when he suffered a pinched nerve in his back.