Starter David Peterson exited in the seventh inning on Tuesday with two men on and two out and the Mets holding a 5-2 lead against the Washington Nationals. The bullpen, as a whole, has been a mess for about a month. Carlos Mendoza summoned rookie Dedniel Núñez to face Lane Thomas.

“In that moment, I just thought to myself, I’m gonna beat you,” Núñez said through a Spanish interpreter after the game.

And he did. Núñez struck out Thomas and then pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning to help the Mets to a 6-3 victory. It was his fourth consecutive scoreless outing. In 11 2/3 innings this season, he has fanned 19 while walking only 3. He sports a 2.31 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. Of Mets relievers who have thrown at least 10 innings, only Sean Reid-Foley has a better ERA (2.16) and no one has a better WHIP.

Núñez, a Dominican Republic native who turned 28 Wednesday, is happy for the opportunity that Mendoza gave him.

Photo Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

“I appreciate the trust that he’s put into me at this point,” he said. “It’s like the max level of trust that he’s put in, but it’s also the way that the team has been positive. The energy that the team has been displaying out on the field. It kind of puts you in the position where you are not thinking that much and you are just going out there to try to help the team out as much as you possibly can.

“I just focus on going out there and doing my job, trying to attack the hitters and throw strikes. I throw my best pitch there and after that I just kind of leave it up in God’s hands right there.”

Núñez struck out Thomas with his fastball “that’s always been my plus pitch,” he said, but is also working to gain more confidence in his splitter, which he thinks will help him in the long run. According to Baseball Savant, 96 percent of Núñez’s pitches have been fastballs and sliders.

“In the major leagues, which is a superior league, in the first one or two months of the season you can get away with two pitches,” he said. “But months three and four, you really have to start thinking about a third pitch where you can be able to use it to get outs as well.”