NEW YORK -- If there is a major quibble regarding the start to Freddy Peralta's Mets tenure, it’s the same one that has trailed him throughout much of his nine-year Major League career. As successful as Peralta has been, he’s also proven inefficient.
So it was on Tuesday at Citi Field, where Peralta kept the Diamondbacks scoreless through 4 2/3 innings but needed 101 pitches to do so. Shortly after he departed, Huascar Brazobán allowed all three of his inherited runners to score, putting Peralta on the hook for a loss until Jared Young's sac fly in the eighth tied the score.
The Mets ultimately won, 4-3, on Ronny Mauricio’s walk-off single in the 10th.
Not all the inefficiency was Peralta’s fault. In the second inning, Francisco Lindor committed a fielding error to fuel an Arizona rally -- the second straight outing in which Lindor has cost Peralta extra pitches. Peralta also struggled to put away hitters, as the Diamondbacks swatted a dozen foul balls out of play. Afterward, Peralta complained about the cold, windy conditions, calling it a “crazy” atmosphere in which to pitch.
“It was a battle,” Peralta said. “Since the first pitch of the game, I was a little uncomfortable. But it’s going to happen. We’re going to have days like that.”
The trouble for Peralta began with a two-out hit in the fifth inning, followed by a walk and a hit batsman. Manager Carlos Mendoza replaced Peralta at that point, and Brazobán appeared to strand all three runners with a called third strike to Adrian Del Castillo. But Del Castillo successfully challenged the call via ABS, then took advantage of the newfound life with a two-run single. Nolan Arenado followed with a bloop double to put Arizona ahead for the first time all afternoon.
“For a moment I thought I was going to be able to finish the fifth without damage,” Peralta said. “But I couldn’t, man. I know that Brazo came in, and he tried his best. It’s part of the game.”
Through three Mets starts, Peralta has a 4.80 ERA. He is averaging exactly five innings per start.
“I have to be better,” he said. “But I think that it’s still early in the season, and I’m going to have at least 27, 28 more games. So I’m going to be making adjustments.”