The New York Mets have had some key injuries in their rotation during the 2022 MLB season.
They lost Jacob deGrom to a stress reaction in his right scapula in spring training, and last week, co-ace Max Scherzer also hit the injured list with an oblique strain.
Both pitchers will be out of action until July.
Somebody will need to pick up the slack.
Fortunately for them, they have developed and fostered some amazing organizational pitching depth thinking about scenarios like this one.
Without deGrom and Scherzer, Chris Bassitt has stepped up as the staff ace, a role he became familiar with during his last years with the Oakland Athletics.
Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker, Trevor Williams, Tylor Megill, and now David Peterson have been an extremely solid supporting cast, too.
Each and every one of those arms knows what their job is, and they do it marvelously.
The Latest Mets Starter Dominating The League
Peterson, the latest member of the rotation after Scherzer’s injury, dominated one of the top teams in the National League in 2021, the San Francisco Giants, on Monday.
“6 strong from @_David_Peterson tonight,” SNY Mets tweeted, with some of his stats.
6 strong from @_David_Peterson tonight 👏 pic.twitter.com/irAcnNX0DG
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 24, 2022
In the six innings, he only allowed three hits and two runs.
He walked one and struck out six Giants hitters.
With the stellar outing, the left-hander’s ERA dropped all the way down to 2.16, with a 1.00 WHIP in 25 innings.
He has earned an extended opportunity in Scherzer’s absence, and could develop into a solid mid-rotation starter as soon as this season.
Part of Peterson’s, and the rest of the staff’s, success stems from pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and his assistants.
They have a plan for every hurler, and that plan is paying off for most of them.
The Mets have a solid eight-game cushion in the NL East, in part thanks to their excellent pitching.
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