Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

David Peterson took the mound for the first time in the regular season on Wednesday and it was not the outing he would’ve liked to have to open his season.

Peterson struggled on the mound, giving up seven hits, six earned runs, two walks, hit a batter, and gave up two home runs over four innings pitched against the Phillies. He struck out five over the course of his 78 pitches thrown on Wednesday night.

Peterson gave up four of those runs in the first inning. In the second inning, Francisco Lindor spoke to his pitcher in the dugout and gave him a pick-me-up pep talk.

Peterson said Lindor told him “it’s a long game, we have a lot going forward and my job right there after giving up some runs is to limit the damage going forward and keep the team in the game as best I can.”

The left-hander responded with three scoreless innings to keep the Mets in the game, for the time being.

Then things got ugly in the fifth inning again for the former first round pick. Rhys Hoskins led off the inning with a double — his third extra base hit of the game off Peterson — and Bryce Harper followed with a single that knocked out David.

On a positive note for Peterson, his slider continues to be a pitch that gets major league hitters out. He threw 30 of them on Wednesday, with 21 swings and 10 whiffs. He had another three called strikes with the pitch, five foul balls, and the average exit velocity of the six balls put in play off the slider was just 75 mph.

The first pitch Jacob Barnes threw as a New York Met went into the right field stands off the bat of J.T. Realmuto, a three-run homer that gave the Phillies a 7-1 lead.

Veteran Dellin Betances allowed one run in his inning of work, with his fastball topping out at 93 mph.

One of the lone bright spots in the Mets 8-2 loss, was Joey Lucchesi in his Mets debut. The left-hander closed out the game for the Mets in a shining debut performance.

The 27-year old pitched two scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and striking out three to close out the night. He threw just 36 pitches (23 strikes) over the course of his first two innings pitched as a Met.

With Carlos Carrasco and Noah Syndergaard expected back at some point before the All-Star break, it will be worth comparing how Peterson and Lucchesi perform with futures roles on the Mets at stake.