Mets put it all together in best performance in weeks

New York Times

21 hours ago

WASHINGTON — In as relaxed a postgame clubhouse as the New York Mets have had all season, Carlos Mendoza could smile.
'We played a complete game,' he said of the Mets' 8-1 win over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. 'We haven't played a game like that in a while, it feels like.'
David Peterson pitched eight innings, and the Mets hit four homers and started a critical run of 16 games in 16 days with a victory. That's three in a row. That's called a winning streak.
'It was a great team win,' Peterson said.
Peterson masterclass 🤝@moomooApp | #LGM pic.twitter.com/NkGDcu7wPd
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 20, 2025
It started with Peterson on the mound. The left-hander was coming off his and arguably the club's worst inning of the season last Wednesday, when he helped blow a six-run lead over the Atlanta Braves through a series of fourth-inning walks. For a pitcher who had spent most of the last 14 months in control on the mound, it was an uncharacteristic unraveling.
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There was no sign of that Tuesday. New York starters talk often of attacking, of pitching in the strike zone and controlling counts. That's what Peterson did all night. He threw 20 first-pitch strikes to 27 hitters. He went to just three three-ball counts. He finished six of his eight innings in 12 pitches or fewer.
Even when he fell behind, he was effective. The Nats got ahead 2-0 seven times; they went 0-for-7 in those at-bats, with Peterson ending the at-bat on the third pitch in four of those encounters.
Peterson allowed just four hits and one walk and struck out a season-high 10. He looked like an All-Star.
'He was really good,' Mendoza said. 'In complete control.'
It's no secret that Peterson, of all the Mets' starters, has been the guy relied upon to pitch deep. This was the 16th time in 24 starts that Peterson has finished at least six innings; the rest of the rotation has done it 18 times in 101 tries. It's the eighth time a Mets starter has finished seven or more innings; Peterson owns six of those.
In all, Peterson has recorded 31 outs after the sixth inning. Every other Mets starter combined? Eight.
'Hell of a job,' Mendoza said.
That length is especially significant now, with the Mets embarking on their longest stretch without an off-day this season. The club was still contemplating whether to add a sixth starter to the mix sometime during this stretch.
'We know what's coming up,' Peterson said. 'The team's ready for it.'
The Mets looked that way Tuesday. The lineup, especially its bottom half, shined on a day when it learned Francisco Alvarez's season is in jeopardy. Mark Vientos homered for the second straight game, with Juan Soto, Brett Baty and Jeff McNeil also going deep.
.@JeffMcNeil805 gets in on the home run party! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/L3mx6BZe62
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 20, 2025
'Losing a bat like Alvy, we're going to need those guys,' Mendoza said.
Vientos, in particular, can provide a necessary lift. This is the guy who hit second last October, who led the club in postseason home runs, who raised his eyebrows and hit a grand slam when an opposing pitcher intentionally walked Francisco Lindor to face him instead. The highest-ceiling version of the Mets includes Vientos in the lineup.
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And yet, Vientos is also the guy who went four straight games without getting off the bench last week, stuck in a 3-for-23 stretch as the Mets continued their third-base carousel.
'It's not an easy role,' Mendoza said over the weekend. 'We need him. He was a big part of this team last year, and he's going to be a big part moving forward. He's too good of a player.'
McNeil's homer was his first since July 4. He added a two-run double and a single, and he has three multi-hit games in the last four.
'I'm right where I want to be,' he said.
That's not quite true for the Mets, who still trail Philadelphia by 5 1/2 games in the NL East. (They entered the day one game ahead of the Cincinnati Reds for the final playoff spot. Cincinnati is in Anaheim this week.) But 16 games in 16 days is a challenge and an opportunity.
'We've been grinding a little bit,' McNeil said. 'It's a great way to start.'
(Photo of Juan Soto: Jess Rapfogel / Getty Images)
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