Mets’ Season on the Brink: Peterson Tapped to Save the Day
The New York Mets are facing elimination in the National League Championship Series, and manager Carlos Mendoza is putting his faith in left-hander David Peterson to turn the tide. With the Los Angeles Dodgers leading 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, Peterson will take the mound for Game 5, his first start of the postseason.
A Fresh Start for Peterson
Peterson, 29, has made four relief appearances so far, including 2⅓ innings in Game 1 of the series. Despite a shaky outing in that game, where he gave up three runs, four hits, and a walk, Mendoza believes he’s the right man for the job. “Facing an elimination game, he’s fully rested,” Mendoza said. “He’s been one of our starters – one of our best starters. We just feel like he’s going to give us the best chance.”
A Season of Resilience
The Mets have faced adversity all season, earning a playoff berth on the last day of the season and rallying from the brink of elimination in the wild-card round against the Milwaukee Brewers. Now, they need to do it again – winning the next three games to keep their season alive. First baseman Pete Alonso summed it up: “This group has responded so well to adversity all year… The one word I can think for the 2024 Mets, besides Grimace, is resiliency. That’s just who we are.”
Learning from Past Mistakes
Shortstop Francisco Lindor urged his teammates to learn from the past two days – both losses – and “execute” better when they get runners on. “If you don’t have any belief, you shouldn’t be here,” he said. “You have to fight for what you want. It comes down to one day at a time and executing.” Peterson, too, will need to bounce back from his Game 1 struggles and find his rhythm against the Dodgers.
A High-Stakes Showdown
Peterson will face off against Dodgers Game 1 starter Jack Flaherty, who shut out the Mets over seven innings on two hits in his first start of the series. The Mets will need to build on their 10 hits and three walks in Game 4 to take down Flaherty and keep their season alive. As Mendoza put it, “Our starters are one of the reasons we’re here, and we haven’t got length out of them…. And here we are now.”
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