WEST SACRAMENTO -- Mets starting pitchers reached what left-hander David Peterson termed a ¡°group decision¡± after the team¡¯s first homestand, which wrapped up on Wednesday against the Marlins.
The consensus? That ¡°we need to pick it up,¡± Peterson said.
Peterson is certainly doing his part.
He didn¡¯t have much run support in Saturday afternoon¡¯s 3-1 loss to the Athletics at Sutter Health Park, but Peterson reprised his role as the most consistent member of the Mets¡¯ rotation in yet another solid outing.
Peterson kept a dangerous A¡¯s offense to just two runs on seven hits across six innings, striking out five without walking a batter. He¡¯s the only member of the Mets¡¯ rotation to complete six innings in a game in 2025, and he¡¯s now done it twice.
His other start? He left early -- after 4 2/3 innings -- because of nausea, although he had already thrown 91 pitches.
That outing, which came on Sunday against the Blue Jays, was more in line with the Mets¡¯ rotation¡¯s average lately. New York starters averaged 4.72 innings per game during the six-game homestand, a rate that would be the second lowest in MLB in 2025. While they and the bullpen have both been remarkably effective -- the club¡¯s 2.47 team ERA leads the Majors -- Mets starters haven¡¯t provided a ton of length.
Peterson is the exception. The lefty is building on a strong 2024 in which he posted a 2.90 ERA across 21 starts, including 12 games in which he completed at least six innings.
Three starts into ¡®25, Peterson has a 2.70 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings. His combined 2.88 ERA since the beginning of 2024 is tied with Shota Imanaga for the 10th best in MLB of pitchers to make 20 or more starts in that span.
For a pitcher who owned a 4.51 ERA in his first four Major League seasons, including a 5.03 mark in ¡®23, there has been considerable improvement.
¡°We faced one of the better left-handed arms in the game,¡± A¡¯s manager Mark Kotsay said on Saturday.
Kotsay and the A¡¯s had a game plan against Peterson that was good enough to win. They waited on Peterson¡¯s sinker and looked to drive it the other way, which they did successfully: Five of their seven hits off the lefty went to center or right field.
Peterson had his own approach against the Athletics, throwing 16 curveballs -- tied for his most in a game -- and getting three whiffs on six swings against the pitch. He threw his curve nearly twice as often as usual.
¡°They made some adjustments there and ground balls got through, but I thought he mixed in the curveball well and gave us six innings and kept us there,¡± Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. ¡°So I thought overall, he threw the ball well.¡±
That¡¯s been the case far more often than not lately for Peterson, who has stepped up admirably in a rotation that will be missing lefty Sean Manaea (right oblique strain) and righty Frankie Montas (right lat strain) for a large chunk of 2025.
Peterson¡¯s efficiency has been crucial for a team whose rotation currently features righty Kodai Senga, who made just one regular-season start in 2024 due to shoulder and calf injuries, and converted reliever Clay Holmes. Both have yet to complete six innings, and Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning haven¡¯t done so, either.
¡°Being able to try to get some length and give some of those guys a break is something that I was trying to do today,¡± Peterson said.
On Saturday, he delivered a performance that could have made him a winner for the second time in 2025. The Mets managed just one run (on a solo homer from Brandon Nimmo) on five hits, though, and Peterson was charged with the loss.
Regardless of the result, if Peterson keeps pitching like this, the Mets will take it every time.
¡°He¡¯s a big part of the rotation, and we feel good every time he takes the baseball,¡± Mendoza said. ¡°We know he¡¯s going to give us a chance to win baseball games, and he did that today. He¡¯s very important for this team, and I'm looking forward to watching him pitch.¡±