Jun 19, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher David Peterson (23) reacts after hitting a double against the Washington Nationals during the fifth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

It was a mixed bag for New York Mets starters on Saturday as David Peterson excelled in the first game of a double-header against the Washington Nationals, while Robert Gsellman struggled mightily in the second.

The day started off so well for the Mets who dismantled the Nationals 5-1 in Round 1, thanks in large to another offensive masterclass from Francisco Lindor and an impressive outing on the mound by Peterson.

However, the bats went quiet in the nightcap portion of the doubleheader and Gsellman’s rough outing didn’t help matters as Washington exacted a small measure of revenge by winning 6-2.

Let’s start on a positive note though, shall we, and allow us to lead with a breakout performance from Peterson who contributed with the ball and without in a big way.

Not only did the 25-year-old do a good job of shutting down the Nationals’ offense, he also achieved a couple of offensive firsts by recording his first major league hit and also scoring the first two runs of his career – taking a leaf out of Jacob deGrom‘s book in the process.

But most impressive – and encouraging in equal measure – was Peterson’s second consecutive strong performance on the mound as he allowed just one run on two hits with just three walks in 4 2/3 innings, while striking out six batters.

That followed six innings of one-hit ball in the 5-2 win against the Chicago Cubs on Monday, and the fact that Peterson is now starting to find his game again will be a huge boost for the Mets who need all the help they can get on the pitching front in the wake of deGrom having to leave two consecutive starts early with various ailments.

“A really good outing,” Mets manager Luis Rojas said about Peterson’s outing after the first game of the double-header.

“Good mix of his pitches. At the point I pulled him out, it was a lot of pitches and how hot it was out there, he had run the bases twice, we just had to make a change.”

After giving up nine earned runs in three combined innings in his previous two outings, Peterson has been near un-hittable on the mound this week and he was satisfied with his start after throwing a season-high 94 pitches thanks in large to an 11-pitch at-bat battle with the Nationals’ Trea Turner.

“I felt great. I did what I had to do between innings to cool down, get a drink of water and catch my breath and go back out there to get the fifth,” Peterson said.

“I had a good battle with Turner out there, but he’s a good hitter – I felt like I could keep going, but Luis decided it was time to make a change, and that’s the direction we went in.”

As mentioned above, Peterson also enjoyed an offensive outburst after previously going 0-for-12 at the plate, scoring from second on Lindor’s single while also hitting a double up the gap in right-center in the fifth inning for his first hit in the big leagues.

“It was an awesome feeling,” Peterson said.

“It’s been coming. But it was good to get the first one. I felt like a full baseball player today.”

On the flip side, as good as Peterson was in the first game of the doubleheader at Nationals Park on Saturday, the second instalment was the stuff of nightmares for Robert Gsellman who was pitching for the first time in 11 days.

With the offense going quiet at the worst possible time while the Nationals put five runs on the board, the Mets needed good stuff from their bullpen but they got the exact opposite of that from Gsellman.

He lasted just two innings, allowing a leadoff homer to Kyle Schwarber, before being taken out of the game and replaced by Sean Reid-Foley, who surrounded five earned runs on five hits in just shy of two innings of work.

That horrific start from the bullpen left the Mets in a 6-0 hole they couldn’t climb out of thanks to an offense that has struggled over the past few games for the most part, and slugger Pete Alonso acknowledged after the second game of the double-header that such contrasting outcomes are part and parcel of a gruelling slog that is a baseball season.

“It’s a long season and there’s ebbs and flows with every year,” Alonso said.

“This is just one of them.

“This is just a couple games where we’re getting to the meat of the schedule and, right now, that’s where we’re at.

“It’s just one of those highs and lows of the game of baseball where you go through stretches where the offense struggles or the pitching struggles, and you’re going to have to battle that.”

The Mets will now look to even the series with the Nationals later today (1:05 p.m. ET), where Taijuan Walker will be on the mound looking to continue his stellar 2021 season.