Peterson’s Struggles Persist Against Arizona
Unfortunately, all win streaks have to come to an end. After emerging victorious in four straight contests, the Mets dropped Wednesday afternoon’s game to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 7–2.
Left-hander David Peterson took the loss, allowing five earned runs over five innings pitched, striking out six and surrendering six hits. Four of those runs came in the second inning, which included three balls hit over 100 miles per hour.
After opening the season with a strong start, Peterson’s performance has fallen off a cliff. In his last outing against the Giants, he struggled to make it through four innings, allowing five earned runs on nine hits.
Wednesday’s meltdown brings his season ERA to 6.14, a far stretch from the 0.00 mark he held after his first start. His WHIP now sits at 1.84, and even that initial outing doesn’t do much to soften it. Although he didn’t allow an earned run on March 28th versus the Pirates, he still gave up six hits and two walks, navigating trouble more than avoiding it.
On Wednesday, he didn’t have that same fortune. The southpaw’s last two starts have been eerily reminiscent of his second half in 2025: early damage, inflated pitch counts, and an inability to consistently put hitters away. Peterson’s second half in 2025 turned into a disaster, which made it all the more disheartening given his elite first half that earned him an All-Star nod.
“He’s having a hard time executing pitches glove side, meaning inside to righties,” manager Carlos Mendoza said post-game.
Funnily enough, his strikeout rate is actually up to start the season, and he even set a season high in strikeouts on Wednesday despite the loss.
So he’s getting the whiffs when he’s right. The problem is, “right” seems to shift from batter to batter. Fellow struggling lefty Sean Manaea has relieved Peterson in each of his last two outings, which isn’t the outcome the Mets are looking for.
However, Mendoza doesn’t seem overly concerned about Peterson and is confident he’ll right the ship.
“If he’s healthy, which he is, there’s no concern,” he said. “He’s too good of a pitcher. He’s been our guy. We’ve just got to make a couple of adjustments there and go from there.”
Time will tell whether the Mets will get the first-half version of Peterson or the latter. But if these struggles continue, there are alternative options. Christian Scott and Jonah Tong are both in Triple-A, waiting for an opportunity. With Juan Soto out for a few weeks, the Mets are going to need their pitching to keep them competitive.
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