Laura Albanese: Mets’ Lefty Pitchers Must Rebound with Depth

Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday that the Mets will not shift to a six-man rotation.

The comment followed a 7-2 loss to the Diamondbacks. David Peterson surrendered five runs in his first two innings. He settled and completed three scoreless frames.

Left-handed starters under scrutiny

Peterson cited mechanical issues and overuse of the sinker and changeup. He believes hitters had time to sit on pitches.

He expressed strong confidence in fixing the problems before his next turn. The manager remains in a “figure it out” mindset.

Sean Manaea’s relief outing

Sean Manaea worked long relief after Peterson exited early. His fastball averaged 89.3 mph that day.

Manaea allowed two runs in the eighth. He finished with two runs, five hits, two walks and two strikeouts.

Defense and missed opportunities

Center fielder Luis Robert Jr. nearly made two plays that could have reduced the damage. He trapped one diving attempt.

He then missed a potential sacrifice fly that became a two-run double. Those plays mattered in the late innings.

Depth and bullpen context

The Mets avoided burning high-leverage relievers the previous day thanks to Manaea’s long relief. That saved the one-inning crew.

Last season’s collapse of the one-inning relievers came from injuries and heavy workloads. That history makes depth vital this year.

Rotation and bullpen contributors

Going into Wednesday’s matinee, the Mets had the second-best ERA in the National League. The staff overall has been solid.

• Kodai Senga has shown a resurgence.
• Nolan McLean has contributed to rotation stability.
• Clay Holmes has been a key arm.

The bullpen features Devin Williams, Luke Weaver and Brooks Raley. Those arms have formed a strong back end.

Internal options and prospects

Tobias Myers has pitched effectively this season and could spot-start if needed. Christian Scott returned from Tommy John surgery.

Scott impressed during spring training and already holds major-league experience. Jonah Tong remains a developmental option for later play.

Keeping perspective

There are concerns about handcuffing the bullpen if starters struggle. Mets’ lefty pitchers must rebound with depth available.

Manager Mendoza said he does not plan to move Manaea back to the rotation or to send Peterson to the bullpen. Role stability matters.

Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Filmogaz.com. She has covered MLB since 2014 after starting at Filmogaz.com as an intern seven years earlier.