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Newsweek
4 hours ago
- Newsweek
Mets All-Star's Latest Gem Shows Why New York Must Offer Extension
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Every pitching staff needs a workhorse, and that's what David Peterson has become for the New York Mets. Coming off his first good season as a starter last year, it was hard to know what to expect from Peterson in this volatile Mets rotation. But he's checked every box along the way, making his first All-Star team at age 29 and pitching to a 3.30 ERA through 136 1/3 innings. Peterson's eight-inning, one-run start against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday was one of his most clinical outings yet. And it came on the first day of a stretch of 16 games for the Mets in 16 days, so he did it when his team needed it the most. WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 19: David Peterson #23 of the New York Mets looks on as he walks to the dugout after pitching eight innings against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 19,... WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 19: David Peterson #23 of the New York Mets looks on as he walks to the dugout after pitching eight innings against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by)That's what the Mets are coming to expect from Peterson. And soon, they need to figure out what it's going to take to keep him doing it a while longer. Peterson is set to hit free agency after next season, and if they lost him, the Mets might be all the way back to square one in filling out their rotation. Manager Carlos Mendoza didn't have a high volume words to say about Peterson after his latest gem, but the words he did say underscored exactly why the Mets need to lock down Peterson. "He was really good," Mendoza said, per Tim Britton of The Athletic. "In complete control." The Mets have a lot of other question marks in their current rotation. With Kodai Senga, it's health. With Clay Holmes, it's fatigue. With Nolan McLean, it's youth. None of those things apply to Peterson, who is a perfect prospective cornerstone for a rotation with many more top prospects on the way. According to Britton, Peterson has gone six innings or more in 16 of his 24 starts, while the rest of the Mets staff has done so 18 times in 101 tries. Plus, Peterson has six of the Mets' eight starts of seven or more innings. While it can be hard to get a deal done only a year before free agency, the fact that Peterson has never hit 150 innings in a season before should work to the Mets' advantage. It's not as if New York should break the bank for Peterson, but rather than waiting for its next reclamation project in free agency, it should recognize what it already has and try its best to lock him up. More MLB: Mets Lose Young Star To Injured List At Worst Possible Time: Report
USA Today
7 hours ago
- USA Today
As Mets fight for life in NL playoff race, can rookies pitchers bail them out?
WASHINGTON — Anointing Nolan McLean the savior of their season is the last thing the New York Mets want to do. After all, for as much energy and magic McLean provided in winning his major league debut at Citi Field on Aug. 16, he's just a 24-year-old barely a year removed from putting the bat down for good and focusing full-time on pitching. 'We want him to be himself. We don't want to add any extra pressure,' says manager Carlos Mendoza of McLean, who struck out eight in 5 ⅔ scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners. 'We want him to continue to go out there and give us a chance to win.' Yet McLean's assimilation will take on a heavier tone if the Mets' veteran arms aren't able to turn around a second half where hitting a collective wall has dented their NL East title hopes and imperiled their playoff outlook. McLean's gem stopped a slide in which the Mets lost 14 of 17 games, part of a two-month pattern in which their starting pitchers' fortunes have virtually flipped. Oh, Mets starters rank seventh in the majors in ERA (3.71), but due to a variety of factors, are just 27th in innings pitched. And their slide in output and quality coincided with the Mets' struggle. They held a 5 ½-game lead in the East on June 12 yet thereafter began the first of two seven-game losing streaks. And then Griffin Canning, a fill-in turned savior who posted a 3.77 ERA in 16 starts, tore his left Achilles June 26. Clay Holmes, returning to a starting role after six years in the bullpen, was brilliant in his first 16 starts, the Mets winning 11 of them as he averaged nearly six innings a start with a 2.97 ERA. But finishing this marathon has proven challenging: Holmes is averaging less than five innings in his last nine starts, the Mets losing five of them, as he's posted a 5.02 ERA and his strikeout-walk ratio has shriveled to 1.66. Sean Manaea? An oblique strain and loose bodies in his elbow delayed his debut until July 13, but the Mets have lost six of his seven starts as he's thrown no more than 86 pitches. Frankie Montas has been relegated to long relief. Kodai Senga hasn't made it past five innings in eight of his 19 outings. And yet here the Mets are, 67-58, a discouraging 5½ games behind the Phillies yet holding a tenuous grip on a wild card spot, a fate they learned last year could lead to the NL Championship Series. Hanging on may depend on a kid or two bailing them out. From three-way player to one McLean's 6-2, 214-pound frame is straight from central casting for a pitcher it belies the fact he's an absolute freak athlete. Forget two-way player: McLean was a three-way guy when he reported to Oklahoma State, with designs on pitching, hitting and playing quarterback for the Cowboys. Yet it was apparent after his freshman year that he had a surefire future on the diamond. He hit 19 homers as a sophomore and had OPS marks of .936, .992 and .911 in three seasons as a Cowboy. On the mound, he pitched just 57 innings but was selected in the third round by Baltimore as a draft-eligible sophomore. The Mets bested that, drafting him in the second round in 2023 as a two-way player, figuring nature would take its course. Come last summer at Class AA Binghamton, McLean was averaging a strikeout an inning as a pitcher – and a punchout in 52% of his plate appearances as a hitter. For the Mets, nature was healing and McLean's decision was easy. 'I've always been able to throw the ball. It's just that last year, when I was hitting still, I was getting tired pretty early,' McLean tells USA TODAY Sports. 'And as a starting pitcher, you want to get deep into ballgames. That was something I really wanted to get better at. 'I felt like the only way for me to do that was to have my legs and my full body underneath me which, luckily, once I set the bat down, I was able to get that second wind later in the year last year and carry it into this year.' Indeed, McLean was a different cat when he returned to Binghamton, acing AA ball with a 1.37 ERA in five starts and getting summoned upstate to Syracuse, one stop shy of Queens. He was even a little more dominant at Syracuse, punching out 10 batters an inning and posting a 1.10 WHIP, maintaining his stuff through 16 appearances. Blessed from a young age with the ability to spin the baseball, McLean threw a curveball that registered 3,511 rpm, more revolutions than any curve measured at the big league level this year. Meanwhile, the Mets were taking on water, their staff incessantly dogged by injuries and poor performance. Veteran Paul Blackburn was designated for assignment, making room for McLean along with 15 friends and family who converged on Queens from North Carolina for his debut. 'It was special, just getting to see them after the game, they'd known how hard I worked to get to that point in my life,' says McLean, 'Being able to see them at a pretty emotional point was pretty awesome to be a part of.' It seemed almost equally emotional for Mets fans. They roared in approval when the video board caught McLean in the dugout on a couple of occasions, after his work was completed. Their hunger for help has probably not been sated. Mets fans are keeping a close eye on the progress of Jonah Tong, who was promoted from Class AA to AAA last week and, pitching at Syracuse the same day McLean threw in Queens, posted an almost identical line: 5 ⅔ shutout innings, with eight strikeouts. While it would certainly be a rush job to summon Tong before season's end, the club also has invested around $420 million in payroll this season, including projected luxury tax penalties. There will be no shorts taken to ensure a playoff berth in this, the first year of Juan Soto's 15-year, $765 million contract. 'The team's ready for it' Of course, the best way to ensure October baseball would be for the Mets' current starters to turn it around. To that end, All-Star lefty David Peterson, coming off the worst start of his season, dominated the Washington Nationals on Aug. 19. After blowing a big lead and giving up six runs in 3 ⅓ innings to Atlanta, Peterson took a shutout into the eighth inning and dominated the Nationals in an 8-1 victory. With 37 games left, they're still up on Cincinnati for the last wild-card berth. Peterson's gem kicked off a stretch of 16 games in 16 days where it behooves the starters to get deep – not just to preserve a bullpen stretched beyond belief but stabilize this season. 'The team's ready for it. We know how to handle it,' says Peterson, who completed at least seven innings for the sixth time this season. 'It's really important where every guy goes out there and we're trying to give the team a chance to win and go as deep as they can. 'Guys work their butt off and I'm confident we'll keep the momentum rolling.' Mendoza couldn't suppress a grin pondering what Peterson's eight innings and a blowout win meant to a side that saw 10 of its past 15 games decided by three runs or less. 'For him to go eight, it was really good. Solid, in complete control, and it was good to see, after his last outing, to see him bounce back that way,' says Mendoza. 'Haven't played a game like that in a while. 'We're going to need those guys. Especially in this stretch.' The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
New York Post
9 hours ago
- New York Post
Mets' Mark Vientos starting to answer Carlos Mendoza's ‘need him now' call
Access the Mets beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets. Try it free WASHINGTON — Mark Vientos' emergence for this final stretch would be more than a luxury for the Mets. 'He was an important player for us last year and he's not having the season he anticipated or we anticipated,' manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday before the Mets' 8-1 victory over the Nationals. 'But we need him now.' Vientos answered that call by blasting a home run in a second straight game. Vientos hit a two-run homer against Jake Irvin in the third inning that gave the Mets a 5-0 lead. Vientos, who started as the DH, provided a jolt to the team on Sunday with his three-run homer in Williamsport, Pa., that led a victory over the Mariners. His playing time had decreased lately, along with his production. Vientos took a .573 OPS for August into the day. 'I am showing up every day like I am starting and going about my business,' Vientos said. 'I am just focusing on winning. I just want to win and whenever I get the opportunity help the team in whatever way.' But the way Vientos has looked in recent days suggests he won't be sitting much in the near future. 'He's going to continue to get his opportunities and he's a big part of this team,' Mendoza said. Mark Vientos belts a two-run homer in the third inning of the Mets' 8-1 blowout win over the Nationals on Aug. 19, 2025. Getty Images Tuesday marked the first game in MLB history that included two managers of Venezuelan descent — Mendoza and the Nationals' Miguel Cairo. The ball used for the game's first pitch was to be removed and sent to the Hall of Fame. Cairo became the Nationals' manager after Dave Martinez was fired in July, along with longtime general manager Mike Rizzo. Mark Vientos celebrates with teammates after belting a two-run homer in the third inning of the Mets' blowout win over the Nationals. Getty Images Cairo was the Yankees' minor league infield coordinator during Mendoza's stint with the organization as a major league coach. 'It's just an honor for both of us — a privilege,' Mendoza said. 'I am humbled by it. This is a big deal back home. I am happy to represent our country.' Mendoza had previously managed a spring training game against a fellow Venezuelan — Astros bench coach Omar Lopez. Delivering insights on all things Amazin's Sign up for Inside the Mets by Mike Puma, exclusively on Sports+ Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters Hitting coach Eric Chavez coached third base, with Mike Sarbaugh back at the team hotel due to illness. Before the Mets can look to next week's series against the first place Phillies at Citi Field — the NL East foes have seven games remaining against each other — there is the matter of navigating this stretch, facing the underwhelming Nationals and Braves. 'We have got to win some games,' Francisco Lindor said. The Mets swept the Nationals in June at Citi Field to move a season-high 21 games above .500.
