David Peterson pretended he was the weather and remained cold on Wednesday.
On a chilly afternoon at Citi Field — even with first pitch moved up three hours for the second straight day because of the numbing forecast — Peterson’s performance quickly transformed the ballpark from refrigerator to freezer.
Buried in a five-run hole early, the Mets never recovered in a 7-2 loss to the Diamondbacks that snapped their four-game winning streak.
Mr. Freeze, whether played by Otto Preminger, George Sanders or Eli Wallach, was Peterson’s equal on this day.
The only redeeming quality of the left-hander’s second straight clunker was that he persevered and lasted through the fifth.
Overall, he allowed five earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks.
Sean Manaea, who before the game manager Carlos Mendoza said would remain in the bullpen rather than pitch as part of a six-man rotation, was utilized for an extended relief appearance in a second straight Peterson start.
The lefty Manaea threw 70 pitches over four innings to not only save the bullpen for the second time in less than a week but also remain stretched out should the need eventually arise for him to enter the rotation.
Offensively, the Mets mustered only a 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position, in their first loss since Juan Soto departed last Friday’s game in San Francisco. Soto has since been placed on the injured list with a right calf strain.
Corbin Carroll’s double in the first inning led to the D’backs’ initial run. Geraldo Perdomo singled, and Gabriel Moreno’s sacrifice fly brought in Caroll.
Ketel Marte stroked a bases-loaded RBI single in the second that extended the Mets’ deficit to 2-0. Carroll’s ensuing two-run double further buried Peterson, and before the inning was complete, Perdomo’s sacrifice fly gave the D’backs a 5-0 lead. Peterson’s trouble in the inning started with the successive singles he allowed to Ildemaro Vargas and Jose Fernandez.
In a moment of levity, Mark Vientos signaled the crowd to increase the applause after a mock cheer as he caught Vargas’ pop-up in the third inning. Moments earlier, Vientos had misplayed a Vargas pop-up in foul territory, extending the at-bat.
Brett Baty’s RBI single in the sixth pulled the Mets to within 5-1. Bo Bichette and Luis Robert Jr. each singled in the inning before Baty delivered for his sixth RBI of the season, tying him for the team lead.
Jorge Barrosa’s two-run double (a ball that should have been caught) off Robert’s glove in the eighth inning widened the Mets’ deficit to 7-1. Manaea loaded the bases in the inning by allowing two singles and a walk.
Vientos’ sacrifice fly in the eighth recovered a run after Robert and Baty reached on a single and double, respectively.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
