David Peterson
The New York Mets had a chance to put further distance between themselves and the rest of the NL East. Instead, they lost a tough series:
1. Of course, Jordan Yamamoto got hurt because there can’t be a Mets game without an injury.
2. The same fans who wanted Joey Lucchesi pitch the fifth are the same ones who wanted everyone warming when David Peterson last pitched.
3. Johneshwy Fargas belongs.
4. If you wanted proof Baseball is a cruel sport, look no further than Jake Hager being designated for assignment the day after celebrating his first MLB hit.
5. Marcus Stroman cheering on Miguel Castro after Castro blew Stroman’s win speaks volumes about Stroman as a person and teammate.
6. At this rate, and after his strong rehab start, Noah Syndergaard may be the first person back from the IL. Okay, it’s really going to be Jacob deGrom, but you get the point.
7. Tomas Nido gave an inch in this series with the dropped ball, but James McCann again showed no reason why he should play over Nido right now.
8. The Mets are really banged up, but there has to be better options available than Brandon Drury and Cameron Maybin . . . right?
9. Jonathan Villar has been abysmal of late.
10. There’s literally no point in complaining about the lineups right now because there are zero good choices to put out there.
11. Dominic Smith really is a terrific defensive first baseman. Hopefully, his getting time where he’s most comfortable can get him swinging better.
12. Well, except for clutch situations. He’s as good as gold in those situations right now.
13. With Robert Gsellman and Sean Reid-Foley, the Mets have been getting phenomenal performances from the long men in the bullpen.
14. Really, the bullpen has been great from top to bottom. You just have to wonder how much longer they can withstand this usage rate.
15. Luis Rojas and Jeremy Hefner aren’t getting nearly enough credit.
16. Mets need more from Francisco Lindor. They’ll get it eventually. Until that time, just enjoy the great defense and the hugs.
17. The game winning hit was fun and all, but Khalil Lee is completely and utterly overmatched at the plate right now.
18. It’s awesome to see MSG rocking for Knicks playoff basketball. It’s been so desperately missed.
19. The last time the Knicks and Mets made the playoffs in the same year was 2000 when the Mets lost the World Series, and the Knicks lost to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
20. The Colorado Rockies are coming to Citi Field at a time the Mets weakened roster needs a truly putrid team they can beat.
The New York Mets have been an injury a minute, and somehow, they went to Atlanta and took two out of three from the Braves:
1. If Tomas Nido keeps this up, the discussion may shift from whether he should be the everyday catcher to whether he’s one of the best catchers in the game.
2. Khalil Lee can keep striking out if he is going to continue to make outstanding game saving catches in right field.
3. Kudos to Edwin Diaz to taking that significant step in his career where you can rely on him on consecutive days.
4. The front office people who told Diaz to put on more weight deserves a raise. The same goes to Jeremy Hefner, who is getting all you can out of Diaz and the entire bullpen.
5. The same goes for the people designing the Mets shifts. They’re shifting nearly more than everyone, and they’re doing it better than almost everyone.
6. Seeing how the Mets played this series and the improvements he seems to be making, Luis Rojas should be getting more credit than he is.
7. Jonathan Villar is a guy with poor numbers across the board, and yet, he just finds a way to have an impact in nearly every game.
8. Kevin Pillar suffered the worst HBP this side of Ray Chapman. It’s miraculous he didn’t suffer more than multiple nasal fractures.
9. Pillar certainly made himself more fans with his play and his talking about how it’s breaking his heart he can’t be out there when his team needs him.
10. That should serve as a reminder we shouldn’t be rushing to judgment to players after a week. Remember, there were plenty of very vocal fans who were convinced Pillar would do nothing this year.
11. It’s not hyperbole to say the Mets play a game and someone else turns up injured. It’s so bad we find out Pete Alonso suddenly has a wrist issue and can’t play.
12. It looks like Dominic Smith could supplant Alonso as the first baseman for now. Hopefully, that helps get him going.
13. For as much as the Mets didn’t want to give Jordan Yamamoto a real chance, they have no choice now. Oh, and we’re probably going to see Thomas Szapucki soon.
14. There’s joy, and then there’s Tommy Hunter, a 14 year MLB veteran, getting his first career hit.
15. Good job by the Chicago Cubs honoring their commitment to Cameron Maybin by trading him to the Mets for $1.
16. It wasn’t that long ago Brodie Van Wagenen and Jeff Wilpon didn’t honor their agreement to Devin Mesoraco. That led to Mesoraco retuning, rushing to activate Travis d’Arnaud, and then rage cutting d’Arnaud.
17. If you’re looking for a comp for David Peterson, it’s Mike Pelfrey. Both were sinkerball first rounders rushed to the majors from Double-A, and the team didn’t let them go back and develop after the initial panic call-up.
18. If you’re even being competitive with a Maybin-Johneshwy Fargas-Lee outfield, you’re doing something right. Seriously, what the Mets did in this series was beyond impressive.
19. Think of everything that has gone wrong with this team. They’re still over .500 and in first place.
20. Sometimes teams just have one of those special seasons. So far, this is shaping up to be one of them.
Game Recaps
The New York Mets went to Tampa Bay flying high, and now, their winning streak is over, and they over wounded . . . literally. It was about as bad a weekend as they’ve had all season:
1. For all the talk of depth, it is very difficult to overcome the loss of Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil, and Brandon Nimmo. Those are arguably your three best hitters.
2. The Mets “Bench Mob” has done their job, but you do wonder how long they can hold on as the regulars are injured and don’t appear set to get back to their healthy forms soon.
3. In terms of injuries, Marcus Stroman hasn’t been the same since his hamstring issues.
4. With Joey Lucchesi struggling in his current role, the Mets have to question what exactly he is. Is he a starter which gives you maybe four innings? Is he a long reliever? Seriously, what is he?
5. You really do have to question why Lucchesi is constantly allowed to fail when the Mets could just call-up Jordan Yamamoto. Seriously, he can’t be any worse.
6. Again, the Mets trading Steven Matz has come back to bite them. They simply didn’t have the rotation depth to just part with a legitimate starter.
7. David Peterson had a great start just when he needed to have a great start. That said, he needs to get through the bottom third of that Rays lineup unscathed.
8. This isn’t the postseason. You simply cannot have relievers warming up all the time. Teams need to navigate a 162 game schedule, and that is made all the more complicated by last year’s shortened season.
9. Not every loss is Luis Rojas‘ fault, and that loss was certainly not on Rojas. The Mets ran into Tyler Glasnow, they didn’t hit with runners in scoring position, and then their bullpen didn’t perform up to standards.
10. Just like Peterson had to get through the bottom of that lineup, Trevor May has to get out Manuel Margot in that spot. Margot is terrible against right-handed pitching, and he is terrible with two outs and runners in scoring position.
11. With Jacob deGrom going down, the Mets are in danger of running through their bullpen depth by the end of May.
12. At some point, James McCann is going to have to do something. His offense hasn’t come along, and even worse, his framing numbers have been terrible. Maybe, this is his year of adjustment, or maybe, he needs more rest than he’s getting. Whatever it is, with all the Mets injuries, the team needs him to figure it out now.
13. While he’s played a flashy third base, Jonathan Villar has been predictably poor over there. So far, he has a -2 DRS and a -1 OAA. It’s hard to see how he keeps playing everyday when J.D. Davis is ready to return.
14. Who knows how long he can keep it up, but Patrick Mazeika is becoming the fell good story of the season. When he finally gets his first hit, it’s a homer.
15. Fair or not, the Mets need more from Pete Alonso, Dominic Smith, and Francisco Lindor. They’re good enough to carry this offense with the other injuries.
16. Alonso has hit a lot of special homers in his young career, but homering in his hometown had to mean a little bit more to him. Hopefully, that homer sparks a hot streak at the plate which this team so desperately needs.
17. It’s insane to think Jose Peraza has been this good so far. Right now, the Mets have no other option than to just see how long he rides this wave.
18. The Mets are fortunate the NL East can’t get out of their own way right now. They get swept by the Rays, and they still stay in first place.
19. For all the criticism over Lindor and the ratcoon joke, Joe Girardi outright refused to answer questions about his issues with Jean Segura. While some may want to think that’s the better way of handling it, it’s hard to see how that helps brings the team together and fire up the fanbase like the ratcoon joke did.
20. Injured or not, the Mets begin an important stretch with series on the road against the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins. Fortunately, they’re going to put their best foot forward with Taijuan Walker on the mound.
Game Recaps
Mets Lost Due to Glasnow and Clutch Rays Hitting
Let’s rewind to the exact situation. David Peterson had retired 17 in a row and was at 83 pitches. The Mets had a 2-0 lead entering the bottom of the eighth with the bottom of the order due up.
The Tampa Bay Rays 7-8-9 hitters were particularly terrible. Here’s now they had faired in the game up to that point:
- Mike Zunino 0-for-1, BB
- Kevin Padlo 0-for-2, 2 K
- Brett Phillips 0-for-2, 2 K
Simply put, Peterson dominated this trio. He had not thrown many pitches, and since the second inning, Peterson was literally generating pop outs, ground outs, and strikeouts.
There was absolutely zero reason to believe the Rays could mount any realistic threat in the eighth. That goes double when you look at the hitters careers:
- Zunino – 72 wRC+ since 2018
- Padlo – Zero career hits
- Phillips – career 71 wRC+
There was absolutely zero reason to anticipate trouble. Peterson’s pitch count was down, and the batters due up were dreadful. To put things in perspective for Mets fans, Eric Campbell with his career 80 wRC+ would’ve been a better option.
Seeing it that way, Luis Rojas was right to send Peterson out for the eighth. That’s even the case with no safety net.
Remember, this isn’t the postseason. You don’t just get guys up and throwing just in case. You’re managing for 162 games, and the Mets are slated for a bullpen game.
The Mets needed Peterson to get through that eighth, and again, there was no reason to believe he couldn’t. Of course, with this being baseball, he didn’t.
Zunino, who has a career .387 SLG against LHP in his career homered. Padlo, who was 0-for-10 in his career doubled. It sucks, but it happens.
From there, Peterson struck out Phillips (who failed in his bunt attempts), and he was relieved by Trevor May. Obviously, no one is going to question that because no one wanted Peterson going through the lineup a fourth time.
Remember, at that time, the Mets still had a 2-1 lead. It was a hard out, but May retired Randy Arozarena. That left May facing Manuel Margot, who is a career .240/.289/.373 hitter off RHP. He’s also a career .232/.316/.297 hitter with two outs and RISP.
This is the exact match-up you want. You wanted May to get an overmatched Margot to get out of the inning, so the Mets could go to Edwin Diaz in the ninth.
Instead of ending the inning, Margot hit a game tying double. May just stumbled here after being great all season. Again, it happens.
This is what caused Mets fans fury. They expected Rojas to not let Peterson start the eighth or to not permit him to pitch against a batter with zero career hits.
Even if you had a preference, that’s not the same as saying Rojas blew it. Rojas had made sound decisions and put his pitchers in a position to succeed.
They just didn’t. It happens.
The same goes for Jeff McNeil failing to deliver with two on and two out in the second. McNeil hit a one out double in the eighth, but Michael Conforto and Francisco Lindor failed to drive him home.
Failing to deliver those insurance runs proved costly. Even more costly was James McCann grounding out with two out and two on in the ninth.
That’s emblematic of what happened in the eighth. The Rays delivered in the big spots, and the Mets didn’t. That’s on the players, not the manager.
In the end, Peterson allowed extra base hits to two flat out bad hitters. May couldn’t get a batter who couldn’t hit RHP out. The Mets couldn’t get the key hit they needed to expand or reclaim the lead.
That’s what happened, and it’s difficult to pin the Mets inability to deliver in these spots on the manager. Overall, there is plenty of blame to go around, but none of I should be directed at the manager.
Rojas managed that game well, and he put his team in a position to win. His players just didn’t take advantage. It’s just time to move past this game and start a new winning streak. With Rojas at the helm, they should.
The Tampa Bay Rays had their chance. David Peterson faltered in the second, and based on how things have transpired this season, this is the point where Peterson gets knocked out of the game.
Yandy Diaz doubled to start the inning, and Peterson lost control walking the bases loaded with one out. That’s when Peterson reached back and found something he hasn’t before in this season.
He blew away Kevin Padlo. Peterson then battled with Brett Phillips before striking him out on a 3-2 pitch. The Rays wouldn’t get close to Peterson again.
Big time slider leads to a big time strikeout. @_David_Peterson | #LGM pic.twitter.com/E75swfSuKZ
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 14, 2021
Over seven shutout innings, Peterson allowed just two hits. While he walked two in that second inning, he wouldn’t walk another. He’d strike out eight. Long story short, he completely dominated the Rays.
17 straight batters sat down by @_David_Peterson. ? pic.twitter.com/cIbvxJqesf
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 15, 2021
Of course, he did get help from his defense. In the first, James McCann threw out Manuel Margot. In the third, Jonathan Villar made a diving stop turning a would be Randy Arozarena double into a ground out.
It’s a good thing too because Tyler Glasnow was just that good. In fact, through four, he was perfect, and it looked like the Mets would need a miracle to get a hit off of him, either that or a well hit out.
In the fifth, they got their miracle. With two outs, Kevin Pillar hit an infield single which shortstop Willy Adames just couldn’t get to first in time. Two pitches later, Villar launched a go-ahead two run homer:
.@JRvillar6 went pop at the Trop. ? pic.twitter.com/UIRK0ErQ9O
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 15, 2021
The problem for the Mets would turn out that there was an eighth inning. With Peterson only at 83 pitches, Luis Rojas let him try to get out the bottom third of the Rays lineup before going to the bullpen.
That calculated risk turned into a reminder a pitcher is cruising until he isn’t.
Mike Zunino led off the inning with a homer. That cut the lead to 2-1, and then things got very precarious when Padlo followed with a double. Peterson responded by striking out Phillips, and then, Rojas would bring in Trevor May to face the top of the Rays lineup.
Villar would make a great play on an Arozarena liner to get the out and preserve the lead. Unfortunately, Margot would hit a game tying double. May struck out Austin Meadows to end the jam, but the damage was done.
The Mets had their chance in the top of the ninth against Pete Fairbanks. Pillar hit a two out single, and Villar reached on an Adames error. That was the opportunity for McCann to deliver, but like much of this season, he made an easy out.
Rojas went to Miguel Castro for the ninth. For probably just the second time this season, Castro didn’t have it.
He’d issue a one out walk to Brandon Lowe. Lowe then went first to third on an Adames single. Lowe JUST beat Michael Conforto‘s throw. Replay would uphold that.
After Zunino walked, Rojas went to Aaron Loup. Initially, Loup came up huge striking out Joey Wendle. However, Loup couldn’t get Phillips, who hit the walk-off single giving the Rays a 3-2 win.
The loss snapped the Mets seven game winning streak, and assuredly, there will be those who will blame Rojas. The blame is misguided.
The truth is Glasnow is a dominant pitcher who was great today. Peterson should’ve been able to get through the bottom third of the lineup there, and a Mets bullpen who has been great all year had a misstep.
It happens. The trick now is not letting it happen again.
Game Notes: Brandon Nimmo had a setback in his rehab assignment and will be shut down. There has not been a stolen base with Peterson on the mound.
We are weeks away from Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco being able to rejoin the rotation. Of course, that’s not set in stone especially with Carrasco having a setback.
When they return, someone has to come out of the Mets rotation. Right now, David Peterson hasn’t given the Mets a reason why it shouldn’t be him.
Through six starts, he’s 1-3 with a 5.54 ERA, 1.385 WHIP, 3.8 BB/9, and an 11.1 K/9. His advanced stats aren’t great either with his having a -0.6 WAR, 69 ERA+, and a 4.64 FIP.
Peterson’s StatCast numbers are even uglier. Peterson isn’t throwing with a high rate of spin, and he doesn’t show great velocity. Worse yet, his control isn’t great. The end result is Peterson getting hit hard. Very hard.
We see that play out in his starts. In half of those starts, he hasn’t been able to get into the fifth. In five of his starts, he’s walked 2+ batters.
Now, that’s not to say he’s been all bad. His 10 strikeout performance was a real glimpse into what he could be. He had another strong start against the Boston Red Sox.
Mostly, what’s missing with Peterson is consistency. To a certain extent, this is an indication of how Peterson was rushed to the majors. There’s talent, real talent, but he’s not ready.
That’s at least the conclusion Peterson forces us to come to with his performances. With his lack of consistency, his control problems, and his getting hit hard, it increasingly seems like he belongs in Syracuse.
That’s at least where he’s at now. He still has time and a few starts to prove otherwise. We’ve seen flashes. He now needs to show dependability.
This was the type of game which had the potential to spell doom for the entire New York Mets season. That’s not hyperbole either.
With a bullpen game the other day and another one due tomorrow, David Peterson was bad. He would get knocked out of the second inning after allowing three runs on three hits and three walks.
It would’ve been worse, but Robert Gsellman bailed Peterson out. That said, he did allow a run in the third putting the Mets behind 4-0 with the Diamondbacks pitching Zac Gallen.
Even with Francisco Lindor reaching on an “infield single” and advancing to second on an Asdrubal Cabrera error in the third and scoring on a Michael Conforto single, things were not getting better.
Lindor got booed again even with his making another sterling defensive play.
The Mets did get another run off Gallen in the sixth. Gallen issued a leadoff walk to Pete Alonso, who advanced to second on a fielder’s choice. Jonathan Villar came up huge with an RBI single to cut it to 4-2.
Jonathan Villar drives in Pete Alonso to cut it to 4-2 pic.twitter.com/sSZKEzC6gh
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 8, 2021
After that, things got weird and dark. It started with a seemingly innocuous play where Jeff McNeil didn’t get out of Lindor’s way on what proved to be a Nick Ahmed single. After what was a scoreless inning, an altercation seemingly ensued:
Not really sure what happened in the Mets clubhouse in the middle of the 7th inning pic.twitter.com/CQA3qEzmuY
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) May 8, 2021
Conforto and Dominic Smith went down the tunnel. McNeil eventually emerged with what looked like a swollen eye. With Lindor due up, you could see McNeil has swelling around his eye. That wouldn’t be Lindor’s last big hit that inning.
After Tomas Nido, who had been double switched into the game, earned a lead-off walk, Lindor would get his first Citi Field homer:
The ball game is tied! @Lindor12BC #LGM pic.twitter.com/FYJhxkffWI
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 8, 2021
That homer as well as the Mets bullpen allowing just the one run over the final 8.1 innings and some good defense allowed the Mets to get to that 4-4 tie.
One key play came in the ninth. Edwin Diaz hasn’t been good in tied games or with runners on base. That’s what made Conforto throwing out Cabrera trying to stretch a single to a double all the more important.
? @mconforto8 pic.twitter.com/AX9dSHGFng
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 8, 2021
Aaron Loup was up next in extra innings. Because of the ever changing rules, a runner started the inning at second. Despite that. Loup would would get out of the inning unscathed. The same wouldn’t be true for the Mets. Smith was intentionally walked to start the inning, and with two outs, Villar singled to load the bases. That set the stage for rookie Patrick Mazeika to get his first career RBI.
Welcome to the show, @pattayymaz10! ? #MetsWIN #LGM pic.twitter.com/leWWbYUu1q
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 8, 2021
That’s a good and uplifting win. It also wasn’t one without drama. Specifically, the issue if the altercation came up. Lindor did his part to downplay it saying he and McNeil were trying to determine if there was a rat or raccoon. It was neither, but it allowed the Mets to move on from it when with all the questions.
Game Notes: Luis Guillorme will not return from the IL tomorrow as anticipated.
Garrett Richards made four starts in 2021 averaging under 5.0 innings per start. He’s allowed 14 runs over 16.2 innings while walking more than he’s struck out.
Naturally, he dominated the New York Mets over 7.0 innings. In fact, he struck out 10 batters, which nearly matched his 2021 total. He picked up the win after allowing one run on seven hits with no walks.
Now, every now and then, every pitcher has a great game. Perhaps, that was just that for Richards. It’s also possible this is just the Mets continuing their season long offensive struggles.
On the night, the Mets only run scored on a Jeff McNeil second inning homer. At the time, that gave the Mets a 1-0 lead.
First pitch fastball ambush by the ?.@JeffMcNeil805 | #LGM pic.twitter.com/GutvYIRbew
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 27, 2021
The problem is that was just one of two Mets extra base hits on the day. The other was Michael Conforto in the fourth, but in what doesn’t remotely come as a shock, he was stranded there.
James McCann had tried to get his own extra base hit in the fifth, but he was thrown out by J.D. Martinez.
Conforto was the only Mets player with multiple hits. Francisco Lindor was the only Mets player not to strike out, but he went hitless. Pete Alonso had the golden sombrero. Both of those players did come to play defensively.
They needed it too because with the way the Mets were hitting, they needed to keep it close. David Peterson did that, and he’d be the hard luck loser for his efforts.
Peterson had kept the Red Sox at bay until the third. Right after the Mets gained the lead with the McNeil homer, Peterson gave that lead right back when Bobby Dalbec homered off of him.
The Red Sox didn’t get anything going until the sixth. Enrique Hernandez led off the inning with a double. He then scored on a Rafael Devers RBI single. That was the scoring in the game.
Peterson rebounded, and he got out of the sixth. That was partially due to Lindor turning a double play. That wouldn’t be his best one of the day.
With the Mets trailing 2-1 heading into the seventh, Jeurys Familia relieved Peterson. Familia allowed a one out double to Hunter Renfroe, and Marwin Gonzalez hit a liner up the middle which Lindor turned into an unassisted double play:
The master at work. @Lindor12BC | #LGM pic.twitter.com/Akvlw8sgmO
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 28, 2021
This was an amazing defensive play. However, it wasn’t enough for the Mets fans in the ballpark who had the temerity to boo Lindor. You’d think early season offensive struggles caused by a number of factors would be excused for Lindor, but the people at Citi Field are morons.
The bigger problem than the idiots booing was the loss. The final 10 batters of the game failed to reach.
When that happens, you really can’t win games. The Mets didn’t here, and they fell back to .500.
Game Notes: Brandon Nimmo was held out of the lineup with a hip impingement. Lindor went hitless. Stephen Tarpley was sent down to the alternate site, and Jose Peraza was called-up. Lindor batted lead-off.