In the 2026 season, the New York Mets have shown many different sides of themselves. However, there has been one constant that has repeatedly shown up on both sides of the ball: certain players have faltered when the team has needed them most. Against the Phillies on Saturday night, that was the case once again, as the Mets were blown out by a score of 15-3.
The main culprit of this loss was not a name you would expect: Freddy Peralta. Based on his pedigree, history as a player, and even certain outings he has had this season, Peralta has been viewed as an upper-level starter.
He, alongside Nolan McLean, is expected to headline the pitching staff and give the Mets the best chance to win games. And in this series, where the Mets had already won a game, it was not unrealistic to expect Peralta to pitch at his highest level. The complete opposite happened.
Peralta utterly imploded over the span of 2 2/3 innings, allowing 10 earned runs on 10 hits. He did not locate his pitches well, he fell behind in counts, and he did not generate any whiffs. Peralta left pitches on platters for the Philadelphia hitters, and they made him pay. Whether it was Bryce Harper starting things off in the first inning or Kyle Schwarber hitting a ball toward the upper deck, the would-be ace failed to match his moniker.
The other pitchers in this game, whether it was Tobias Myers or Cionel Pérez, struggled too. Harper finished with his first career cycle, Schwarber hit three home runs, and the Phillies totaled 17 hits. But when push came to shove, Peralta was the one who set the tone. He was overmatched and outclassed on Saturday, and he was never able to find the best version of himself.
As this season has gone on, though, it is fair to wonder if that version of Peralta exists. There have been great moments and aspects from the right-hander this year, especially when it comes to striking batters out. However, the negatives have been just as glaring. Peralta struggles with command, and it causes everything to snowball for him. There are also moments where his velocity is not where it needs to be, allowing hitters to attack early and put the Mets in early deficits.
Ahead of the trade deadline and an important offseason, Peralta has to find consistency. For him and the Mets to get their deserved outcomes, the right-handed pitcher just simply needs to be much better in every way. If not, things could get much worse as the dog days of summer approach.
On the offensive side of things, the Mets were not great, but it was an effort that was not surprising against an ace like Cristopher Sánchez.
New York did muster some hits in this game. Carson Benge, one of the Mets’ best players, smoked a second-deck, 420-foot home run in the 7th inning with the game well out of reach. Mark Vientos, despite striking out in a critical early-game situation, had a home run and a single. Bo Bichette and Juan Soto had hits, along with Zack Short and Francisco Alvarez.
These hits were never strung together or capitalized on, though. New York would get a few baserunners, but would follow it up with poor at-bats to strand them. The Phillies also made some impressive defensive plays in this game, such as when Bryson Stott robbed Luis Torrens of an RBI single or when Trea Turner robbed Soto of a base hit.
With Peralta imploding on the mound, the Mets never really had a chance to get in a rhythm and find themselves on offense. It was, like many other games this season, one that was lost from the very beginning. Heading into the series finale on Sunday night, the Mets will look to string together a cohesive performance and beat Philadelphia in their home ballpark once more.
On Deck
David Peterson takes the mound in the rubber match against the Phillies Saturday. The lefty’s last start came on May 26, where he allowed six earned runs across five innings to the Reds. The Mets will face Zack Wheeler, who holds a 2.01 ERA in 10 starts.
The two clubs will square off on Sunday Night Baseball. The game will be televised at 7:20 PM on NBC. The game will be broadcast on 880 AM.
