David Peterson shelled again as Mets’ woes continue with loss to Nationals
Peterson #Peterson
WASHINGTON — The good news for the Mets is the easy part of the schedule is behind them.
Thirteen straight games against the underwhelming Tigers, Rockies, Reds and Nationals, and the Mets managed to win — drumroll please — four times.
For a team that entered the season with World Series aspirations, that’s not good.
Monday afternoon presented the Mets with a chance to at least finish this stretch (or is it stench?) with a winning series, but they punted that opportunity into the Potomac in a 10-3 loss to the Nationals.
David Peterson’s latest rough start, coupled with a Francisco Alvarez base-running flub and suspect offense sent the Mets home with a split in the four-game series.
The Mets have had seven straight non-winning series since beating the Dodgers two of three games in Los Angeles last month.
It’s now back to Citi Field, where the Mets will play baseball’s best team, the Rays, for three games.
The lefty Peterson remained in the rotation — he had returned last week with Max Scherzer scratched against the Reds with neck spasms — because manager Buck Showalter wanted a sixth starter to provide extra rest for Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga without an off day within this stretch.
But Peterson’s starts have turned into almost automatic losses as he’s struggled with his command and perhaps confidence.
On this day he allowed six earned runs on nine hits and two walks over five innings and saw his ERA bounce to 8.08.
The Mets (20-22) have lost seven of the eight games he’s started this season and five straight.
Tommy Hunter surrendered a two-run homer to CJ Abrams in the sixth that further buried the Mets.
A mental lapse by Alvarez helped crush a potential big inning for the Mets in the second.
After Jeff McNeil stroked an RBI single to tie it 1-1, Eduardo Escobar singled and Alvarez’s walk loaded the bases with two outs against Patrick Corbin.
With Brandon Nimmo at the plate, Alvarez strayed too far from first base and was picked off by catcher Keibert Ruiz to end the inning.
Starling Marte’s two-out single led to the Mets getting their run in the inning.
Marte stole second and advanced to third on Ruiz’s throwing error before McNeil delivered.
Peterson fell into a 5-1 hole in the fourth inning, with two walks and two singles as the impetus.
Dominic Smith scored the inning’s first run, waltzing in from third base as Alvarez’s throw to second attempting to nail base stealer Abrams skipped past Francisco Lindor.
The ensuing batter, Lane Thomas, walked and Luis Garcia delivered an RBI single.
In the third, Peterson surrendered three straight hits, including an RBI double to Joey Meneses that gave the Nationals a 2-1 lead.
Ruiz’s sacrifice fly brought in Garcia, who had singled.
The Mets’ first-inning woes continued with Meneses’ RBI double.
It marked the 11th time in the last 13 games the Mets were scored upon in the first inning.
Overall, the Mets have been outscored 37-9 in the first inning this season.