WASHINGTON — David Peterson pounded the strike zone and was efficient with his pitches Tuesday, bringing him to within one out of the Holy Grail for Mets starting pitchers this season.
Only four times in 60 games had a Mets starter lasted at least seven innings.
Peterson retired CJ Abrams for the second out in the seventh, but with two runners on base and right-handed batter Lane Thomas due up for the Nationals, manager Carlos Mendoza brought the hook.
Peterson departed, Dedniel Nunez got the final out in the inning and, for a change, the Mets avoided a late bullpen crash in a 6-3 victory at Nationals Park.
Peterson, in his second start off the injured list, was the impetus.
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The left-hander allowed two earned runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts over 6 ²/₃ innings, departing after 81 pitches. The Mets (26-35) won their second straight — their first series victory since May 6-7 in St. Louis — and will have a shot on Wednesday at their first three-game sweep since April 15-17 against the Pirates.
Among the keys for Peterson on this night was getting ahead in the count: he threw a first-pitch strike to 10 of the first 13 batters he faced.
“I think with Abrams swinging at the first pitch [of the game] and having a six-pitch first inning it was kind of laid out how it was going to go,” Peterson said. “I just tried to play into that and get quick outs, get ground balls early and keep the pitch count down and get the hitters back in the dugout because they were feeling it tonight. I wanted to get them back running to the bat rack.”
Peterson underwent surgery last November to repair a torn hip labrum. Now healthy he’s getting better rotation than previously from his lower half.
“It kind of helps everything out with range of motion and being pain free is great,” Peterson said. “I feel good right now mechanically and body-wise.”
Harrison Bader’s two-run homer against DJ Herz in the fourth accounted for the game’s first scoring.
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Starling Marte walked leading off the inning before Bader cleared the left-field fence with one out for his third homer of the season.
The Mets broke out in the fifth, when Marte’s two-run triple extended the lead to 4-0. Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo singled in succession to begin the inning before Marte sent a shot along the first-base line that hugged the side wall and allowed Marte to race all the way to third for his second triple in five games. Mark Vientos’ ensuing sacrifice fly gave the Mets a 5-0 lead.
Peterson didn’t allow his second hit until the fifth on Jesse Winker’s leadoff single. Jacob Young delivered a two-out RBI single that pulled the Nationals within 5-1.
Vientos lunged to the foul line to stop Nick Senzel’s grounder in the sixth and threw from his knees to nail Senzel at first base.
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Peterson, who had walked Joey Meneses ahead of Senzel, escaped the inning by retiring Ildemaro Vargas.
“For [Peterson] to go back for the seventh, when we haven’t gotten much lately from the starters … and to go out and continue to make pitches, that was good to see,” Mendoza said. “He got a lot of quick outs that allowed him to get deeper in the game, but it was a good outing and we needed it.”
The Nationals got a bounce to slice the Mets’ lead to 5-2 in the seventh.
Joey Gallo’s grounder hit first base and the ball popped into shallow right field for an RBI single.
Winker was hit by a pitch to start the inning and stole second — a play on which he was picked off first but Peterson threw low to Alonso.
Alonso launched a 446-foot homer to left in the ninth for the Mets’ final run.
Alonso’s blast was the 14th of his career at Nationals Park. It was also Alonso’s 14th homer of the season.
Young’s RBI single with two outs in the ninth against Reed Garrett cut the Mets’ margin to 6-3.
The Nationals brought the tying run to the plate with two outs, but Garrett retired Thomas to end it.
Peterson was proud of his contribution to a series victory for the club.
“That’s the job: to come and give our team a chance to win,” he said. “I felt I was able to do that tonight, especially with the way the guys were hitting and running.”
