PETERSON KEEPS METS AFLOAT
Peterson Ks 10 vs. ATL as Amazin's pull within 1.5 games of wild card
David Peterson made the Mets feel much better about their playoff hopes. The future, too.
Leading the Mets to their third win in four games, the rookie starter recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts, while allowing one run in six innings of a 7-2 win over the Braves on Saturday night at Citi Field, pulling the Mets within 1½ games of the second wild-card spot in the National League.
Peterson (5-2), who previously never threw more than 87 pitches, completed six innings for just the second time, allowing three hits, while throwing a career-high 102 pitches (62 strikes). The 25year-old southpaw lowered his ERA to 3.83, and joined Jacob deGrom as the Mets’ only pitchers with double-digit strikeout performances this season. Peterson’s five wins are tied for the most among NL rookies.
“It’s been awesome,” Peterson said of the season. “Like I said at the beginning of the year, I felt ready to contribute in any way possible and in any way the coaching staff and team asked and it’s been a blessing for me to be up here and learn from the older guys and get some experience this year.”
Entering his fifth game since missing two weeks with shoulder fatigue, Peterson wasn’t the most acclaimed rookie taking the mound. Atlanta’s Ian Anderson, the 22year-old, former No. 3-overall pick, had gone 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA in his first four career starts and was coming off a one-hitter over seven shutout innings.
But in the first inning, Anderson faced his first real struggles in the majors, issuing walks to the first three hitters he faced. Robinson Cano then put the Mets in front with a two-run single through the left side.
Anderson was removed after 4 2/3 innings, having also surrendered a fourth-inning, runscoring double to catcher Robinson Chirinos — who ended a 15 at-bat hitless stretch. Meanwhile, Peterson — a fellow former first-round pick — authored his most dominant major league outing despite hitting multiple speedbumps.
“He means a lot to us. He knows what he’s doing out there,” Cano said. “Honestly, he looked like a guy who has been in the league for so long . ... He was able to shut it down tonight. That was outstanding.”
Peterson opened the second inning by allowing one of his four walks and an Adam Duvall double, but the lefty settled down, getting Ozzie Albies to pop up before escaping the inning with back-to-back strikeouts.
When another two runners reached base in the third inning, Peterson extinguished the threat with an inningending strikeout of Travis d’Arnaud. Peterson’s 10th strikeout came on his third takedown of Freeman, the NL MVP frontrunner, ending the fifth inning with another Atlanta runner stranded at third.
“His poise is what lets him work through tough situations,” manager Luis Rojas said.
After giving up a two-out homer to Duvall in the sixth, Peterson watched the bullpen nearly give away the game.
Entering for Peterson in the seventh, Miguel Castro gave up a leadoff double and two walks, exiting after recording just one out. Then, Justin Wilson arrived to save Peterson’s win, Castro’s ERA and the Mets’ postseason hopes, inducing an inning-ending double play from Freeman.
The Braves cut the deficit to 3-2 when d’Arnaud homered off former teammate Jeurys Familia in the eighth inning, but Dominic Smith and Cano led off the bottom of the inning with back-toback home runs, sparking the game-sealing four-run frame.
“We know our goals. We know what we want,” Cano said. “We know if we want to make it to the playoffs we have to go out and try and win every game.”