PITTSBURGH — Mets Struggle Amid Injuries
The Mets are facing some tough times with four starting pitchers on the injured list and another struggling to find his rhythm.
It’s not exactly a winning recipe.
David Peterson, stepping up while Kodai Senga is sidelined, had a rough night on Friday, contributing to a 9-1 loss against the Pirates at PNC Park.
After what seemed like a positive turn with back-to-back wins over the Braves, the Mets couldn’t muster much offense. They ended the game without managing to score even with a runner on base, marking the return of Mark Vientos from his stint on the injured list. Unfortunately, he had a disappointing night, recording nothing in four at-bats and striking out twice.
Earlier in the day, Griffin Canning had surgery for a ruptured left Achilles, which is going to end his season. He joins Senga, Tyler Megill, and Shawn Mania on the list of unavailable starting pitchers.
Peterson threw 4²/₃ innings, giving up five runs on seven hits and walking three batters. This was the second game in a row where he didn’t finish five innings, following a similarly rough outing against the Phillies.
In the third inning, Peterson’s troubles began. He walked a batter, which led to a rally from the Pirates, bringing nine players to the plate and scoring four runs.
Ke’bryan Hayes and Jared Triolo both hit singles, putting the Pirates ahead 1-0. Then Alexander Canario hit a deep double to right field, where Juan Soto had to chase it down. Soto struggled to make the catch, allowing another run to score.
Following that, Isiah Kiner-Falefa posted an RBI single, extending the Pirates’ lead to 3-0. Tommy Pham then added another run with a fielder’s choice before Peterson finally ended the bleeding after allowing another hit to Andrew McCutchen.
Soto managed to reduce the deficit to 4-1 with a home run, marking the 20th of his season and his 11th this month. He came into the night with an impressive OPS of 1.223 for June.
Unfortunately, the struggles continued when Hayes hit an RBI double in the fifth, leaving the Mets down 5-1, amid troubles that began with a leadoff double from Brian Reynolds.
After Peterson exited the game, Blade Tidwell took the mound, expecting to pitch in the rotation next week against the Brewers. However, he also faced difficulties, giving up four runs over 3¹/₃ innings.
Things went from bad to worse when Reynolds hit a three-run homer off Tidwell in the sixth, pushing the score to 8-1. Pham added insult to injury with another RBI single, continuing the Mets’ woes.
