NEW YORK — The Mets may have entered this week with the lowest rotation ERA in the Majors, but that hardly meant they lacked starting pitching concerns. Of particular note, sophomore left-hander David Peterson entered Monday’s play with a 9.88 ERA in his last four starts, which prompted some around the team to call his job into question.
Problem was, the Mets don’t have an obvious in-house replacement, and the Trade Deadline is still nearly seven weeks away, leaving the Mets in a lurch. Their best and easiest way out of it was for Peterson to start pitching the way he did as a rookie.
And that’s exactly what he did, delivering one of his most impactful outings of the season, holding the Cubs to a single hit over six innings in a 5-2 Mets win at Citi Field. Peterson walked two, struck out three and eliminated a runner on a nifty pickoff move to second base, slicing his ERA from 6.32 to 5.60 in the process.
Peterson was not the only slumping Met to enjoy a renaissance on Monday, as Dominic Smith busted out of an 0-for-20 stretch at the plate with a walk, a single and a solo homer.