Peterson, Soto Shine in Win Over Marlins

With Opening Day just three weeks away, the New York Mets starting pitching continues to be under the strictest microscope.

Lefty David Peterson took the mound on Saturday against the Miami Marlins, and he was solid as the Mets defeated Miami 7-3. He also got some help from the Mets offense thanks to Juan Soto and Brett Baty, who each contributed in the win.

Peterson Pitches Shutout Ball

After going three innings in his last outing, the Mets stretched out Peterson to four innings of work, and he was impressive. Peterson shut out Miami through four innings and struck out two. Part of what made Peterson successful last year was his ability to get batters to put the ball in play for outs, especially timely outs. After Peterson walked Xavier Edwards to lead off the top of the 1st inning, he got Otto Lopez to ground into a double play. Then, after giving up a double to Jonah Bride, he got Jesús Sánchez to ground out to end the inning. 

Peterson began the top of the 2nd inning with a walk but retired the side after. One inning later, Peterson walked the leadoff batter to begin the frame but retired the side again after he got help from Luis Torrens as he threw out Edwards who was trying to steal second base. Peterson got his first 1-2-3 inning in the fourth and closed out his day by striking out Dane Myers on a slider. 

3-For-3 Day For Soto

Soto continues to hit in his first spring training action as a Met. On Saturday, Soto went 3-for-3 with an RBI. That RBI came in the first inning and began the Mets’ scoring as he drove in Luisangel Acuña, who started the evening with a single, on a ball driven to the opposite field that hit the wall. It was Soto’s 5th RBI of the exhibition season. In his next at-bat, Soto got another base hit but was thrown out by Myers as he tried to stretch a single into a double. Soto would single to center field in the top of the 6th inning to wrap up his day. Soto is now batting .400 with a 1.338 OPS in spring training. 

Baty Notches Another RBI

The competition for that bench spot in the infield will be sorted out soon with Opening Day around the corner, and Baty continues to show why he should get a roster spot. In the top of the 6th, with the Mets up 3-0, Baty doubled in two runs on a drive to right field to extend the Mets’ lead to 5-0. Baty now has 5 RBIs in the spring with a .375 average and a 1.152 OPS.

Player Of The Game: Juan Soto

Soto’s three-hit performance was the highlight in the Mets’ 7-3 win over Miami. 

On Deck:

The Mets head back to Port St. Lucie on Sunday to play the Washington Nationals, with Clay Holmes taking the mound for New York against Jake Irvin. One other note is that Kodai Senga will pitch on the backfields in a minor-league scrimmage on Sunday. The game against the Nationals will be televised on WPIX at 1:10 pm EDT, and broadcast on Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880 AM.

 

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