David Peterson’s Uneven Stretch Continues

David Peterson’s outing on Wednesday at Citi Field ended in frustration as the Mets fell 7-4 to the Padres. The left-hander labored through five innings, allowing six runs on six hits with one strikeout and three walks. He threw 85 pitches and left trailing 6-2.

Peterson got into a jam immediately when a sharp single by Fernando Tatis Jr. and a walk to Luis Arráez set the table for San Diego in the first inning. Gavin Sheets hit a sacrifice fly to bring home the game’s first run. In the second, the Padres tacked on when Jake Cronenworth drove in a run with a single. Peterson escaped further damage, but the Padres weren’t fooled by his arsenal.

The Mets tied the game in the fourth inning, but Peterson’s pitch count climbed. The decisive blow came in the fifth. After loading the bases, Peterson left a curveball over the plate to Manny Machado, who launched a grand slam to left. The game swung instantly to San Diego’s side, and the Mets never recovered.

Despite the line, manager Carlos Mendoza noted that many balls were not squared up well.

“It was one of those outings where, even though they didn’t hit that many balls hard, they hit the one there when they needed to,” Mendoza said.

Peterson was able to finish the fifth inning but didn’t return for the sixth.

“We’ve got to get him right,” Mendoza added postgame. “We’re going to do everything moving forward to put guys in positions to help us win baseball games. We’re counting on him.” He also confirmed Peterson will remain in the Mets’ rotation.

Peterson leaned on his sinker and four-seam fastball but mixed in sliders, changeups, and curveballs, throwing 34 sinkers, nine four-seamers, 16 sliders, 16 changeups, and 10 curveballs for 49 strikes against 36 balls. Normally, his pitch mix generates a lot of ground balls, but Wednesday was different: only eight grounders coupled with three line drives and five fly balls.

For Peterson, the loss continued a run of uneven outings since the start of August. In eight starts since August 1, Peterson has logged 46 1/3 innings with a 6.99 ERA, 48 strikeouts, and 22 walks.

There have been highs, like his August 19 performance against the Nationals, when he delivered eight innings of one-run ball. There have also been lows, such as August 27 in Miami, where he lasted just two innings and gave up eight runs. Wednesday’s start leaned toward the latter.

For the season, Peterson is 9-6 with a 3.98 ERA over 167 1/3 innings. He’s recorded 15 quality starts but has also failed to complete six innings since his gem against Washington on August 19. Mendoza was asked about the difference between Peterson’s first half and now, and said the team believes the left-hander can still find consistency.

Peterson himself brushed aside concerns about his recent stretch.

“It’s a long year… you’re going to have games like that,” he said. “I’m not looking too much into it. You’re going to have mixed results throughout the year. It’s obviously tough, when you know what you’re capable of. Like I said, you’re going to go through times where it’s not going exactly how you want it to… but you can’t hold onto it.”

With other formerly reliable arms like Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea struggling, and New York putting increasing pressure on their young prospects, the Mets will need Peterson to steady himself in the final weeks. His next start will be crucial in proving whether he can be trusted with meaningful innings as New York looks to clinch a playoff spot.

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