Laura Albanese: Mets' David Peterson has found himself again, and not a moment too soon
Mets pitcher David Peterson throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Nationals on Thursday in Washington, DC. Credit: AP/Nick Wass
WASHINGTON – David Peterson was in trouble.
There were two outs in the first inning when he walked three straight Nationals to load the bases and bring up the left-handed hitting Daylen Lile. The balls to the three prior batters hadn’t been particularly close and Peterson, who’d previously been using an opener after a catastrophic start to his season, seemed primed to prove that he couldn’t be the rotational piece the Mets desperately need right now.
Lile, no doubt seeing how far Peterson could bury himself, let a first-pitch sinker drop in for a strike. The next pitch, a slider, was called a ball, though it nicked the bottom of the zone. A second slider was fouled off, and then came the third – an 87.2-mph beauty that had five more inches of horizontal break than the two that came before it. Lile could only wave at it as it crossed the plate and tumbled outside of the strike zone, allowing Peterson to escape unscathed.
And boy, would it sure mean a lot if that sequence is worth remembering a few weeks, or even a few months from now.
Because there’s reason to believe that the Peterson who anchored this pitching staff for months last season (before, that is, fading dramatically down the stretch) still exists.
“It [would mean] a lot” Carlos Mendoza said. “We saw it. He was an All Star last year. He was a big part of the success that we had in the first half of the season. And if he can be that guy, man, he’s going to help us get to the next level. He’s more than capable of doing that.”
That inning ended up being the only real spot of trouble Peterson faced in the Mets’ 2-1 win over the Nationals Thursday – their 12th in the last 19 games. He allowed one run and four hits with three walks and three strikeouts over five innings – the sole damage done in the fifth, on Andres Chapparo’s run-scoring ground out.
It wasn’t an overwhelmingly dominant performance, but Peterson did what he does best – he pitched to contact, limited damage, and let his fielders do their work. And on a day when the Mets’ bats fell mostly flat, it was pivotal.
After a horrific April, the Mets are 12-7 in May, get to travel to Miami – an opportunity to break out of the NL East basement after just about earning squatters’ rights there.
Though it’s important not to make too much of one outing, Peterson’s importance can’t be understated. This rotation desperately needs stability and length, and when the lefty is on, he can provide both. There’s also reason to believe that Thursday’s performance is something he can build on.
The decision to start Peterson, who entered the day with an 8.10 ERA as a starter and a 2.25 ERA in four relief appearances, was born of opportunity and necessity – but also a little bit of hope. Though his last start against the Nationals was nothing short of a disaster – he gave up seven earned runs in 3 2/3 innings – Mendoza still liked the matchup against a very left-handed dominant lineup. The Mets were also short on options: Christian Scott and Zach Thornton both failed to make it out of the fifth inning on Monday and Wednesday, and the bullpen is already spent during this stretch of 16 straight games.
But Peterson has insisted that he doesn’t need opener training wheels in order to produce, and Thursday was an opportunity to prove it. If that trend continues, it gives Mendoza more flexibility: For one, he doesn’t need to burn a reliever right off the proverbial bat, potentially saving a unit that’s been tested and taxed to within an inch of its life. It potentially opens up another slot in the bullpen. And it means the Mets won’t necessarily be forced to fast-track minor-league arms in a scramble to cover starts.
For his part, Peterson’s confidence never wavered. Not early in the season, and not after that dodgy first inning. What he did do is go to work – both then and now.
“I just went and looked at videos” after the first. “There [were] a couple things I was feeling. I felt like I was a little quick, so I just kind of tried to settle in, slow myself down within my motion and then just continued to try and get ahead with the first pitch and go from there.”
The more long-term confidence remained because “I’ve done it before,” he said. “I know what I’m capable of and what I need to do to be successful, and so getting back to that has been big – trusting my teammates and trusting our catchers and just continuing to be aggressive and throw a lot of strikes…I’m continuing to be critical of myself in an objective way and see where I’ve had some flaws and continue to work on those.”
And as for the pitcher who looked like he’d finally figured it all out, he still exists, Peterson said.
“I feel like I’ve been there a couple of outings now,” he said.
The Mets will need that and more. But Thursday was a good start.
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
