While a full-strength Mets rotation features a couple of starters capable of producing quality performances at a welcome rate, their circle of trust really only includes David Peterson over the last month. Why? Nobody else has provided sufficient length.
Tasked as the stopper with the Mets facing a three-game losing streak to begin their post-All-Star break slate, Peterson answered the call on Sunday afternoon, delivering six innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts in a tight 3-2 win over the Reds at Citi Field.
Cheers at home have become the norm for Peterson. The reliable left-hander entered the series finale with a 2.11 ERA across nine starts in Queens this season, and that mark is now down to a laudable 1.91.
"He was really good," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "On a day where, I feel like he was missing arm-side, especially with the sinker, he got ground balls. I thought that slider came and went. But he executed when he needed to… For him to go six [innings] there was solid."
Peterson is also the lone Mets starter to complete six-plus innings over their last 35 games, and he's accomplished the feat five times. Overall, he owns a 2.90 ERA with 97 strikeouts and 12 quality starts (116.0 total innings). Simply durable and dependable.
"I don't necessarily see it as pressure. We're obviously trying to go as deep as we can into every game," Peterson said. "That's our job, trying to give the team a chance to win. You notice it when we have certain guys being used. You want to be able to try and get as deep as you can, to get it to those guys later in the game."
Backstop redemption
Luis Torrens made a critical error in Saturday's loss, as he regretably attempted a back-pick throw to first base in the third inning that traveled into right field and allowed a run to score. The gaffe set the tone for the Mets' afternoon.
But the veteran catcher made up for that mistake at the dish and behind it on Sunday. He worked a 12-pitch walk in the sixth, gunned down a runner trying to steal second with the game tied in the eighth, and then scorched a hard grounder to second in the bottom half of the frame that drove in the winning run.
"Just one more day in the office," Torrens said after the win. "I've been feeling a lot more comfortable at the plate. I'm putting in a lot of good work, and when you put in that work, the results start to eventually come around."
Rewarded for hustle
While the Mets avoided a weekend sweep, they scored just nine runs across the three-game set while hitting 6-for-25 (.240) with runners in scoring position. They also left 25 total runners on base.
But a team in need of offense will accept runs of any kind, and the Mets' eighth-inning rally on Sunday backed the claim. The winning effort began with a leadoff walk from Juan Soto, who proceeded to reach third base on a one-out double from Jeff McNeil.
Moments later, heads-up hustle from Soto made all the difference. He rushed home on Torrens' sharp grounder to second with a head-first slide, and the bang-bang play at the plate gave the Mets a 3-2 lead.
Soto's jump and threat placed pressure on Reds second baseman Matt McLain, whose throw home went slightly behind catcher Tyler Stephenson instead of in front of him.
"Any way you can help the team win a ballgame, it's great," Soto said. "You know the hitting is going my way right now, but I try my best to help the team with defense, running, any way I can do it… You've got to get the momentum going. I was going on contact, so I was trying to make sure I was ready."