I had mentioned at the beginning of the season that I thought the Mets were going to expand the rotation for a few turns to get guys like Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander some extra rest. Kodai Senga seems to be getting extra rest as well. Now that Scherzer and Verlander are back, and Cookie Carrasco is on the way, they might still be able to do it.
But, and I’m sorry to say it but it’s true for right now, those extra starts can’t go to David Peterson.
The thing about hyperbole is that once you overblow one calamity, you have nowhere else to go. But the next calamity that might actually fit your narrative is right around the corner. Two bad starts last year were beyond the pale. Well now it’s six bad starts that fall along the range of putrid to horiffic. The last two were only necessary because of Scherzer’s neck spasms. But with pitchers coming back, the Mets owe it to themselves, the rest of the roster, and also to Peterson to get him far away from the major leagues until he can get his stuff right.
Today’s start against the Nationals was more of the same of what the Mets have been getting from him, and in some respects the rest of the rotation lately. He gave up a first inning run, putting the Mets behind again. (It’s mentally draining to play from behind every game, even if it’s 1-0 in the first.) He gave up two more in the third and two more in the fourth, and because Buck Showalter is looking for length of any quality from his starters these days, one more in the fifth. He gave up nine hits and two walks in five innings, with the common thread of being wild in the strike zone. There aren’t even any flashes of brilliance, the kind that make you think he’s close to being a solid starter if not more. Kodai Senga at his worst this season has had that. Peterson looks like someone who needs to start over.
It’s certainly not the only issue with this team. They’re still not getting key hits consistently. The Mets had three runs on 11 hits today, but against the one pitcher they murder consistently, it shhould have been a lot more. (They could’ve used Corbin killer J.D. Davis today.) The most egregious waste of a rally was in the second inning when Francisco Alvarez got picked off first base with two outs, and the bases loaded as if Alvarez was going somewhere. (Yes, Alvarez will learn from it. All young players make mistakes. But you hope that their teaching moments aren’t ones that cost the Mets, and that one did.) Jeff McNeil hit a ball hard in the 6th down 6-2 with two outs and two runners on to end the inning, and that felt like the end of hope. Sure enough, Tommy Hunter gave up four runs in three innings to make Monday a complete wash.
(I feel like the title of the Mets 2023 Yearbook should be “But At Least The Bullpen Was Saved.”)
I still maintain that the Mets can bounce back. But they can’t give away any more games by starting Peterson. I have hope that every single player on that roster can improve just by grinding through. But it’s apparent to me that Peterson can’t bounce back without taking a step back. It’s the best thing for all parties at this point, including Peterson.
Today’s Hate List
- Lane Thomas
- Joey Meneses
- Patrick Corbin
- Luis Garcia
- C.J. Abrams
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