David Peterson had an impressive start to his Grapefruit League season on Monday, facing a lineup that included National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt and other notable players such as Paul DeJong, Lars Nootbar, and Dylan Carlson. Despite the Mets’ 12-7 loss to the Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, the left-hander pitched two shutout innings, striking out three and walking one without allowing a hit.
Peterson stated that he is currently working on refining all of his pitches, but has not made any major changes since last season, where he had a record of 7-5 with a 3.83 ERA in 28 appearances for the Mets. He aims to have five pitches that opposing hitters must worry about and spread out the usage of his pitches to have multiple weapons against different batters.
Peterson is no stranger to the pitch clock, having started six games last season at Triple-A Syracuse where he had to deal with it. He likes to work faster than usual, so the timer doesn’t really affect him. Peterson said, “It was fun to kind of keep my eye on it and see how I could play with timings and holds and try to use it in my favor.”
Manager Buck Showalter revealed that Eduardo Escobar might play left field as soon as Tuesday, as Team Venezuela is considering using him at that position during the World Baseball Classic. Showalter commented that Escobar has been working hard for the event and wants to be ready.
Justin Verlander is scheduled to make his Mets debut in the Grapefruit League on Saturday in Jupiter against the Marlins, while Max Scherzer will start a day earlier at home against the Nationals. Although both pitchers threw on Sunday, Showalter cautioned against reading too much into the upcoming alignment regarding which ace might start on Opening Day in Miami. The Mets have two days off in the coming weeks, allowing Showalter to adjust the rotation as necessary.
»Pitcher Peterson impresses fans«
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