NEW YORK -- Realistically, the Mets moved David Peterson back into their rotation on Wednesday because they had no obviously better options. Team officials were encouraged by Peterson’s recent run of success in the bullpen. They liked the matchup against the Nationals, whose best hitters are left-handed.
At this point, they also had little left to lose.
"It’s extremely frustrating,” Peterson said, “knowing what I’m capable of and not being able to put it out there.”
For a Mets club seeking rotation answers beyond Freddy Peralta, Nolan McLean and Clay Holmes, there was no respite. Peterson entered this season as an unquestioned member of the rotation despite an 8.42 ERA over his final nine starts last season. The quality of his stuff has regressed since that time, with the left-hander’s fastball averaging a career-low 91.8 mph entering Wednesday’s play. Opponents were also batting .417 off the pitch he uses most frequently, his sinker.
Need a larger sample size? Over his last 14 starts dating to last season, Peterson is 2-6 with an 8.31 ERA.
"You see flashes of it,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “The stuff, he’s got more than enough to compete in the strike zone. It’s just when he loses the feel for it. … That’s the frustrating part. He’s got the stuff, obviously. But he’s got to be able to do it consistently.”
On Tuesday, Peterson allowed singles to three of the first four batters he faced, resulting in two runs. His recent struggle to pitch inside to right-handers continued in this game.
And although Peterson settled down to retire nine consecutive batters at one point, a one-out walk in the fourth began his demise. Four of the next five Nationals batters reached safely, prompting manager Carlos Mendoza to replace Peterson with another struggling left-hander, Sean Manaea, who hit Curtis Mead with the bases loaded before serving up a grand slam to Brady House.
Had enough fans stuck around to serenade them on a cold, rainy night, both Peterson and Manaea might have received heartier boos than the ones they heard. As it was, the relative quiet was even more telling.
“We have to be better,” Mendoza said. “There’s no excuses, obviously. It’s been a long period of time here where we’re not playing well. So we’ve got to fix it.”
Both Peterson and Manaea were supposed to be rotation stalwarts for the Mets, who came into Spring Training boasting of their depth. Neither has pitched effectively, but then again, who has? Members of the Mets’ rotation only have five wins in 30 games this season, and all five belong to Peralta, McLean or Holmes.
The Mets recently lost Kodai Senga, whose struggles were comparable to Peterson’s, to the injured list. No. 2 prospect Jonah Tong has carried his own misfortune from last September into this season, posting a 5.68 ERA so far at Triple-A Syracuse. Christian Scott had all sorts of issues in his return from Tommy John surgery, but he’ll receive another chance Friday for a team devoid of alternative options. Tobias Myers is no longer stretched out as a starter. No prospect in the upper levels of the Minors has distinguished himself.
That’s why it was so important for the Mets to receive a strong outing from Peterson.
That’s why it was so disheartening for them when it didn’t happen.
Afterward, Mendoza indicated that Peterson will remain part of the equation in some form, either by continuing to start games or perhaps operating behind an opener. He called Peterson “a big part of this team.”
Asked about his confidence level that he can fix his issues quickly, Peterson responded: “Very high.”
"Because I’ve done it before,” he continued, “and I believe in myself, and I know I have the stuff to do it.”