ARLINGTON, Texas — David Peterson pitched well enough to silence all the noise about Kodai Senga.
While Senga continues his careful rehabilitation from a shoulder injury (the right-hander is scheduled to throw bullpen sessions this week for the third time since last month’s setback), Peterson has slid into the starting rotation and given the Mets a chance to win through four starts.
The left-hander blew a seven-run lead into the second inning on Monday and barely surrendered the lead in a 14-2 Mets-Ranger game at Globe Life Field.
“I just got on the field as fast as I could and [the lineup] We just do what we have to do,” Peterson said.
Peterson pitched six innings, allowing four hits, striking out six, walking three and allowing two earned runs.
Peterson has a 3.97 ERA in four starts off the disabled list, and the Mets are 3-1 in that span.
Peterson began the season on injured reserve after undergoing hip surgery in November.
His only blemish on the night was allowing a two-run homer to Robbie Grossman in the third inning.
Outfielders Starling Marte and Harrison Bader were both benched for one game of the series, which will be played on artificial turf, to allow both players time to work on their legs and were left out of the starting lineup.
Marte has been bothered by knee soreness and missed the team’s last home game, so Tyrone Taylor and DJ Stewart started in the outfield on Monday.
Bader came in as a pinch hitter for Nimmo in the seventh inning and was 1-for-2 on the night.
Brooks Raley, who had season-ending elbow surgery last month, is with the team and is expected to be in uniform for the series against the Rangers. The left-handed relief pitcher lives in the Dallas area.
J.D. Martinez reached base with a single in the first inning, extending his streak of 11 consecutive at-bats, but was out in his next at-bat.
The club record is 15 consecutive at-bats with a base hit, set by John Olerud in 1998.
Manager Carlos Mendoza was asked if there had been a change in the players’ attitude during this period, in which the club has won 10 of their 12 games.
“They’re a really close-knit team,” Mendoza said. “Even when times are tough, they’re always together outside the ballpark or on an airplane and it’s a light-hearted atmosphere. It helps that they’re winning games, but they continue to support each other and help each other out.”
Dillon Gee, a former Mets pitcher who lives nearby and was at the field with his family before the game, said he usually attends one game a season but thought it would be fun to see two of his former teams play.
The Mets last played in Texas in 2017.
