David Peterson. Photo by Ed Delany of MetsmerizedOnline
The Mets have been ravaged by pitching injuries to start the 2023 season, most notably in the starting rotation. With Justin Verlander and Jose Quintana both on the injured list, the Mets have turned in part to one of their unsung heroes from the 2022 season: David Peterson.
After a strong spring training, Peterson has allowed six earned runs through his first two starts, and has struggled to limit walks. His first start in Miami (five innings, one earned run) fared much better than his second in Milwaukee (five innings, five earned). Can he stabilize himself against a strong San Diego lineup? Here are three keys for Peterson to have a strong start in his 2023 Citi Field debut.
Limit the Walks
The achilles heel for David Peterson so far in 2023, and really for his major league career, has been command. Through 10 innings in 2023, Peterson has walked six batters. Ultimately, if he is going to settle into a rotation spot, he will need to limit the walks. Padres manager Bob Melvin posts a very patient roster, sending out at least eight players with a walk-rate of 10% or more so far this year. On paper, this poses a tall challenge for the Mets’ lefty.
During Peterson’s best stretches in 2022, he was limited the walks. During a six start stretch from July 17 to August 27, Peterson went 22.1 innings, four starts and two relief appearances, allowing just six walks and six earned runs. That added up to a 2.42 ERA.
However, as was seen in Milwaukee, allowing walks can quickly unravel a start for Peterson. If he is to have success tonight against the Padres, he will need to keep the ball around the zone.
Tame the Heart of the Padres Order
You’d be hard pressed to find a team with a better one-two punch in the National League than the Padres. With Juan Soto and Manny Machado leading the way, the Padres have an incredibly deep top-of-the-order and plenty of depth. After Soto and Machado comes Xander Bogaerts, another massive bat. Machado has struggled to start the 2023 season, posting just a 73 wRC+ through 11 games. Meanwhile, Soto, Bogaerts, Trent Grishman, and Ha-Seong Kim all have a wRC+ of 113 or higher to start the year.
It is no secret that the Padres have a deep and scary lineup, so David Peterson will need to limit the damage to be able to limit the big hits tonight to keep himself in this game. However, this ties into the previous point of limiting the walk: if Peterson can limit the walks and keep runners off base, limiting the chances for the Padres’ big bats will be much easier. The Padres are one of only four National League teams that Peterson has not logged a regular season start against, giving him no background against the team other than one inning of relief. Of note, Peterson has only allowed one hit to Juan Soto in four registered at bats for his career, but has walked him three times.
Provide Stability
Aside from Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill, the Mets have had some issues in their rotation. Carlos Carrasco has been lit up twice so far in two starts, Max Scherzer struggled in his two starts prior to his strong outing Monday night, and David Peterson has put in one good start and one poor start. If he can settle down and settle into his role in the rotation, that would go a long way for settling down what has otherwise been a back-and-forth start for the Mets rotation.
As a starter, Peterson put up a 3.86 ERA over 91 innings in 2023, providing some much needed value and length for a pitching staff that struggled to stay on the field at times.
Peterson was able to play that role last year, however, stepping in and settling into the Mets rotation on multiple occasions as different starters dealt with different injuries. Peterson, however, has not been given the chance to take a strong hold on a Mets’ rotation spot over the longterm. With the Mets having a few starters on expiring deals or having opt outs, this can be an extended audition for Peterson for the 2024 rotation and beyond.
Peterson, along side with Trevor Williams, was one of the unsung heroes for the 2022 Mets. Tonight will be a great chance for the former Oregon Duck to stabalize his 2023 campaign.
