PHILADELPHIA -- This time, David Peterson’s tenure in the Mets rotation really could be coming to an end.
There are, of course, no guarantees that anything will change. Twice already this season, the Mets have demoted Peterson from their rotation, only to rethink things largely due to a lack of alternatives. But Peterson’s latest loss, in which he walked the first two batters he faced and allowed five runs (four earned) in a 6-2 loss to the Phillies, will again force Mets officials to rethink their rotation.
One alternative, Kodai Senga, is already back in the Mets’ rotation. Another, Christian Scott, could return from the injured list as soon as next weekend. That means time may be running short for Peterson -- an All-Star last season -- to prove he belongs in a starting unit that also includes Freddy Peralta, Nolan McLean and Sean Manaea.
His recent results don’t make a compelling argument. Over his last three outings, Peterson holds a 10.97 ERA with seven strikeouts and six walks over 10 2/3 innings. The four innings he completed against Philadelphia gave him his longest outing of June. It also marked the one-month anniversary of Peterson’s last win.
Sunday at Citizens Bank Park, all the damage against the left-hander came in the first two innings. After Peterson walked Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber, third baseman Brett Baty committed a throwing error to allow a run to score. A second run came home on an infield single, before Schwarber added to his prodigious weekend power tally with a three-run homer in the second.
Though Peterson recovered to retire the final eight batters he faced, it was too little, too late for a Mets team that completed its six-game road trip with a 2-4 record. Under different circumstances, that might have registered as nothing more than a disappointing week. Given the hill the Mets must climb to return to contention, it instead marked another concerning development.
Most prominently, the Mets must find starting pitching answers as quickly as possible. Peterson has not consistently proven to be that.