PHILADELPHIA — Mets Struggle in Loss to Phillies
On Sunday night, David Peterson was the slowest of the Mets’ starting pitchers, which really didn’t help his team’s chances. Unfortunately, this performance just added to a pattern that’s become too familiar.
Last week featured similar setbacks from Kodai Chiga and Freddy Peralta, who also faced early exits without bouncing back. The Mets seem to be on repeat with these disappointing outcomes.
Against the Phillies, Peterson surrendered five runs in the first two innings, leading to a 6-2 loss. This marked their second consecutive defeat, wrapping up their road trip with two wins and four losses.
Aside from a reliable bullpen—who have kept them in tight contests—there’s not much optimism about this team. Currently sitting at 34-43, the Mets simply haven’t performed at the level needed.
Peterson’s struggles have been evident, as he managed only four innings, allowing six hits, two walks, and five runs (one earned), with five strikeouts. His recent form has been particularly concerning, with an ERA of 12.15 over three games this month and a season ERA of 6.09.
Peterson’s night began with him walking Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber, before he struck out Bryce Harper—though it was a bit of a painful full count showdown. The preceding walks, however, came back to haunt him. An infield hit by Alec Bohm—and a throwing error from Brett Batty—opened the scoring for the Phillies. Edmundo Sosa added another run with another infield hit, making it 2-0.
Things escalated quickly when Bryson Stott and Turner hit back-to-back doubles, followed by a three-run homer from Schwarber, pushing the score to 5-0. This was Schwarber’s fourth home run of the series, having been particularly dominant the night before with three homers in a blowing 15-3 victory for the Phillies. Remarkably, he’s hit 29 home runs in just 77 games this season.
In the third inning, a home run from Carson Benge off Zack Wheeler brought the score to 5-1. This was the rookie’s ninth homer of the season, but the inning concluded in a less encouraging fashion for the Mets when Juan Soto was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double.
Then in the fifth inning, Harper launched a line drive into right field for a home run against Austin Warren, extending the Phillies’ lead to 6-1. Just the night prior, Harper experienced a career milestone—hitting for the cycle.
In the sixth, AJ Ewing contributed a key hit, bringing the score to 6-2. Ewing was the last batter to face Wheeler, who left to applause, having walked Benji, Soto, and Jared Young to load the bases. The inning ended with Marcus Semien striking out against Jonathan Bowlen.
