MILWAUKEE — The sinking Mets will turn to David Peterson for relief.
Coach Carlos Mendoza said the club will use a left-hander, who has been strong all season but has struggled in recent games, instead of Luis Severino in the series finale Sunday at American Family Field. Announced.
The Mets are starting to fall into trouble after losing three straight. The Mets are one game behind the Braves and are effectively tied with the Diamondbacks (with whom the Mets hold the tiebreaker) for the third and final wild-card spot in the National League.
The team could have asked Severino to take the usual four days of rest and be back for Opening Day, but the right-hander had a dent in Atlanta on Tuesday and, more importantly, said, “We don't want him here.'' I rode it hard,” Mendoza said. Severino has started 31 games, the most since 2018.
The Brewers were hitting better with right-handed batters than left-handed batters, but Mendoza said the bigger issue was Severino getting an extra day, and Severino will have to play four innings for Monday's game in Atlanta. He said he is likely to pitch in the game against the Braves, the same team in which he scored four points. this week.
That means Peterson will be in charge of the ball, as the Mets are 1-1 away from earning a wild-card spot.
“Petey is throwing the ball well,” Mendoza said of Peterson. Peterson started 20 games and posted a 3.08 ERA, but gave up five runs in 3/3 innings against the Phillies on September 20th.
The 29-year-old is hoping to break not only his club's slump but also a rotation that has been underwhelming over the last three games.
Jose Quintana wasn't the problem in Saturday's 6-0 loss to the Brewers, but he wasn't part of the solution.
The southpaw wasn't bad, but he only played 4¹/₃ innings, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks. He had nine strikeouts but needed 92 pitches to record 13 outs.
Of course, he could have been perfect, and it wouldn't have mattered on Saturday, when the Mets offense couldn't take on six Brewers pitchers.
Still, the Mets' strong run in the second half was largely due to their rotation, which has seemed to be feeling the weight of late.
Quintana was better, but not good enough.
“I thought he fought,” Mendoza said of Quintana, who was strong until the fourth round.
After three great frames, Quintana struggled to escape a two-run, 35-pitch fourth.
A single by Willie Adames, a walk by Hoskins, and a two-out free pass to Isaac Collins (a walk that both Mendoza and Quintana noted as particularly disappointing) put him in trouble.
Joey Ortiz then extended his bat on a full-count curveball and hit a two-run hit to left-center field, which proved to be too much for the Mets to overcome and ended Quintana's streak of scoreless innings at 25. .
“It's a tough loss for us,” Quintana said. He will likely make his final start for the Mets and finish the season with a 3.75 ERA. “Everyone in this room knows nothing is going to be easy. We need to win the ballgame.”
That ballgame — at least the first of three games that could end the season — will be in Peterson's hands.
