Cardinals may have broken the NY Mets pitching plan with David Peterson for good

After Wednesday’s loss, David Peterson was nowhere to be found. Abbey Mastracco of the NY Daily News was the one to notice the New York Mets bulk guy missing from media availability.

Maybe his weakest relief job on the year, Peterson allowed the St. Louis Cardinals to score 6 runs on 7 hits in 3.2 innings of work. Other than the second inning when it went groundout, single, groundout, single, groundout, a run was scored against him.

The home run ball is what hurt Peterson the most as a pair cleared the bases of his other mistakes. Peterson, even at his best, is almost always pitching out of the stretch because of how many walks and hits he typically allows. When the ball doesn’t stay on the ground, a so-so performance can get out of hand quickly.

What’s next for David Peterson?

First, Peterson is going to need to explain where he was and watching the Knicks game isn’t acceptable. If he has a reason for not speaking and making his manager and catcher pick up the slack, it’s the kind of unacceptable action that’ll put him in the doghouse of management and many fans. Accountability is the second-most important ability after availability. The Mets haven’t had much of the latter.

There isn’t anything Peterson could say after the game to make anyone feel good. Toeing the line and being honest is all he could accomplish. We won’t know and frankly, with a day game to close it out against the Cardinals on Thursday, most of us are over it and the continued notion of using him as a bulk guy.

Far and away better as a reliever than starter, the biggest issue for the Mets is how they’re doing this same exact thing with Sean Manaea right now. It worked on Sunday with Huascar Brazoban starting and Manaea entering after. They got 4 innings from their $25 million pitcher. We accept it because we have no other choice.

The Mets have been generous with Peterson and with Kodai Senga now rescheduled to make a rehab start on Thursday, we hold our breath and angst temporarily. That’s not to say Senga as a starter would yield better results. He’d probably do what Peterson and opener Austin Warren combined to accomplish.

When a team can get creative with things like an opener, fans grow to appreciate it. Mishaps like this are embarrassing. The Mets have one of the highest payrolls in the sport and two times through the rotation they need to ask a surprisingly effective reliever to pitch in the first inning.

Peterson’s days on the Mets roster are feeling increasingly numbered with injuries and multiple effective relief spots where he gave them a handful of innings saving him for the time being. It’s a matter of “who do you trust to be better?” and through the first few months there isn’t an answer.

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