Nieuwenhuis, Mets End First Half With A Bang [VIDEO]

Kirk Nieuwenhuis had a day for the history books as the New York Mets completed a three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks to wrap up the first half of the season on Sunday.

Nieuwenhuis - who was traded by the Mets to Los Angeles earlier this season, then cut by the Angels and scooped off the scrap heap by the Mets again -  went off, smacking three home runs. To put it into perspective, Nieuwenhuis entered the game barely hitting .100 on the season (7-66), with zero home runs. He also became the first Met to homer three times in a game at home, as he accounted for four of the Mets' runs in a 5-3 win.

Another interesting note for a Mets team that is not known for power. All of their 13 runs in the series were driven in with the long ball, including the home run from pitcher Matt Harvey on Saturday.

For Terry Collins it's a nice turnaround for a team that looked to have lost motivation.

After being swept by the Cubs at home two weeks ago, the Mets have won 7 of 9 including 6 of their last 7.  It moved New York to 47-42, good enough for second in the NL East, two games behind the Nationals.

Jacob deGrom is the team's lone All-Star participant.

When the Mets return from the break, they'll open on the road with three in St. Louis followed by three in Washington.