NEW YORK -- Moments after David Peterson allowed his 11th and final hit of Tuesday evening, then failed to back up home plate on the play, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza came to remove him. Peterson’s ERA, despite four solid outings that preceded this one, stood at 5.57. Boos trailed him on his walk from the Citi Field mound to the dugout.
This is the current state of the Mets: every time they think they may have found an answer, another leak springs, often from the very hole that once seemed plugged. Peterson’s struggles on Tuesday -- six earned runs over five-plus innings in a 7-2 loss to the Reds -- were concerning because they suggested that the left-hander is not, in fact, fixed. They were also concerning because the Mets have few alternative places to turn.
Every non-rotation starter who could feasibly help the team, from Sean Manaea, to Kodai Senga, to Jonah Tong, to Zach Thornton, is either in the big leagues, on the injured list or recently demoted. New York could theoretically replace Peterson in the rotation with Manaea, who delivered three productive relief innings behind him. (One scout in attendance Tuesday praised the quality of Manaea’s stuff compared to that of Peterson.) But Manaea’s ERA is almost identical (5.56), despite better recent results. Would rearranging lefties really make the Mets better?
These are the things team officials will consider, manager Carlos Mendoza said, after their fifth consecutive loss, which seemed inevitable in the early innings. Five of the six batters to face Peterson in the first reached base safely, though the Reds ran into multiple outs on the bases to limit the damage to two runs. No matter. In the fourth, Peterson allowed three additional runs on four more hits, including an Elly De La Cruz two-run double.
Then, in the sixth, the first two batters of the inning reached base to knock Peterson from the game. After Tyler Stephenson hit an RBI double, Bo Bichette made an ill-advised throw home to try to cut down the lead runner. The ball skittered to the backstop because Peterson wasn’t backing up the play, allowing Stephenson to reach third.
“I just didn’t do my job,” Peterson said. “I didn’t get to my spot. And that’s on me.”
A half-baked Mets comeback followed thanks mostly to Juan Soto, who hit his 11th homer of the season off Chase Burns. But the Mets never brought the potential tying run even as far as the on-deck circle, instead falling back to their season low-water mark of 11 games under .500.
That’s largely on an offense that continues to struggle, but it’s also on Peterson and the pitching staff. Afterward, Mendoza praised Manaea’s improved ability to throw competitive pitches to both right- and left-handed hitters, perhaps hinting that a rotation change could be in order. The question is whether it will matter, whether either option is good enough to spark wholesale change for the Mets.
Those answers will come only over time.
“I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a conversation,” Mendoza said. “But we’re going to need all of them. We’re going to need [Peterson] to throw important innings for us. Whether it’s as a starter, whether it’s coming after an opener or pitching out of the bullpen, we’re going to need innings from him. … And Sean, another good outing for him. So I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a discussion here what’s next when it comes down to the next turn in the rotation.”