NEW YORK -- Through 120 games, or almost exactly three-quarters of the season, the Mets have received fewer than five innings per game from their starters.
Some of that can be explained by the nuances of modern professional baseball, which reduces the emphasis on starting pitching. But don’t be mistaken: very little of this has happened by choice. Far too often, the Mets have simply not gotten enough from their rotation.
On Wednesday, the Mets completed an entire rotation turn without a single starter lasting five innings. Even David Peterson, their nominal ace for much of this season, was not immune. Peterson carried a six-run lead into the top of the fourth at Citi Field and recorded just one out that frame, allowing six runs in an 11-6 loss to the Braves.
"It’s frustrating,” Peterson said. “We’re not holding up our end, and we need to do better. I think that starts with analyzing the performance and then turning the page, moving on to the next one.”
Even for a team that loaded up on relief pitching at the Trade Deadline, this sort of thing is not sustainable. Since June 13, Mets starters have amassed 227 innings, the lowest total in Major League Baseball. After leading MLB in rotation ERA for much of April and early May, the Mets have been one of the league’s worst starting units since that time. And they did nothing to address their rotation at the Deadline.
Peterson’s problem was an old one that hadn’t previously surfaced much this season. The left-hander walked five batters, including four during the Braves’ nine-run fourth.
After Peterson walked No. 9 hitter Nick Allen to force in a run, allowed a three-run double to Jurickson Profar and issued yet another free pass to Matt Olson, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza finally removed him from the game. Reliever Reed Garrett proceeded to allow a single to Marcell Ozuna, walk Sean Murphy and serve up a Michael Harris II grand slam to seal the Mets’ doom.
"I was a little out of sync with my mechanics and wasn’t able to dial it back in,” Peterson said.
Some rotation help is at least on the way in the form of third-ranked prospect Nolan McLean, who will start Saturday against the Mariners. But McLean, who will be making his Major League debut, is hardly guaranteed success. Even if he does pitch well, he won’t be able to make Peterson or Clay Holmes or Kodai Senga throw strikes. He can’t help Sean Manaea rediscover last year’s form. The Mets know they cannot view McLean as a savior.
What they must do is hope for improvement from their four incumbent starters, with a little help from McLean and (perhaps eventually) Brandon Sproat along the way. If that happens, the Mets -- who, by the way, continue to sit in playoff position at 64-56 -- still have a chance to make something of this season.
If it doesn’t, they’re unlikely to accomplish anything resembling last year’s October success.
"The pitching coaches are digging deep to make sure we’re not missing anything of what’s going on here,” Mendoza said.
"That’s our job as coaches to get these guys back on track.”