Mets 3, Rockies 0: Peterson shoves against hometown team

The New York Mets are now one win away from a four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies, thanks to the lights-out pitching performance of Colorado’s own, David Peterson.

The left-hander from Aurora’s Regis Jesuit High School tossed six shutout innings, spacing four hits, walking zero and striking out seven. Today was the seventh start of 2022 that Peterson struck out at least seven batters (16 total starts).

One single opposing batter made it into scoring position against him. This was impressive — especially for a guy flipping between Triple-A and the big leagues.

Peterson faced the three-batter minimum in exactly half of his six innings, and was four batters above the six-inning minimum of 18. He left the ballgame with a Mets win probability of 86.2%, and a small batch of run support was enough to preserve his sixth win of the season.

Peterson’s final line: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K

Early Threat: First Inning

Colorado’s best chance of cashing in a run came in the first inning. Newly-appointed leadoff hitter Randal Grichuk started the game with a line-drive single into right field. It was followed by a strikeout and flyout, but with a C.J. Cron single to follow, runners were on the corners for the fifth-hitting Elias Díaz.

Díaz flew out to second base.

The Rockies wouldn’t touch second again until a ninth-inning wild pitch with two outs.

Freeland allows early-inning barrels

Colorado sent Kyle Freeland to the hill for the bottom of the first. On his second pitch of the game, Brandon Nimmo made a statement:

Nimmo put a sinker into some elevated spectator viewing in right-center field; at 105.6 MPH off the bat, it was the hardest-hit ball Freeland allowed on the night.

Six total pitches were hit 100 MPH or harder off of Freeland this evening. Two were foul balls, two were flyouts, and one was a first-inning single by Pete Alonso just four batters after Nimmo’s homer.

Freeland was able to limit any extra damage in the first, but Nimmo would get the best of him again in the second, hitting an RBI double into right field on an 82-MPH curveball. This one was 88.5 MPH off the bat and had only a 30% hit probability, but with the right fielder Grichuk shaded toward center, the pitch landed in enough open grass for Nimmo to collect two bases.

Freeland’s best work would follow, however. He carved through the heart of the Mets’ order in a perfect third inning, and after a hard-hit double by Mark Canha to open the fourth, Colorado’s left-hander stranded Canha on second with three consecutive outs in play. Freeland returned for the fifth, finally retiring Nimmo on a strikeout, and collecting two groundouts to end his night.

Freeland’s final line: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Cron leads offensive charge

There were just five hits by the Rockies this evening and C.J. Cron accounted for two of them. His earlier-mentioned single in the first was followed by a ninth-inning single with two outs, serving as the Rockies’ only baserunner after the sixth inning.

Rockies Bullpen: 3 IP, 1 R

After burning through Daniel Bard, Carlos Estévez and Lucas Gilbreath in Friday’s extra-inning loss, Rockies manager Bud Black was working with a thin lineup card for tonight’s latter innings. After the recent DFA of Robert Stephenson, today was a prime opportunity for another reliever to make a statement.

Justin Lawrence was first out of the bullpen, tossing two innings (after a relatively high pitch count on Thursday). He worked his way out of two singles in the sixth, but a seventh-inning walk to Nimmo and a double by Starling Marte would cash in the Mets’ third and final run of the night.

Lawrence ended his outing with two strikeouts, stranding Marte at second.

Jake Bird was tasked with the bottom of the Mets’ order in the ninth, sitting down three on a strikeout and two groundouts.

Mets Bullpen: 3 IP, 0 R

Closer Edwin Díaz was unavailable for tonight’s game having pitched in each of the past two games. It was old friend Adam Ottavino tasked with a three-run lead in the ninth, and a single by Cron was the only damage allowed in an otherwise perfect frame.

Ottavino collected his second save of 2022, allowing the closer Díaz the rest needed to potentially return for the Sunday series finale.

Mets manager Buck Showalter called upon relievers Seth Lugo and Trevor May for one inning a piece. They combined to sit down all six batters they faced.

Up Next:

Colorado will send Germán Márquez (5.22 ERA/4.70 FIP) to the hill on Sunday against Max Scherzer (2.33 ERA/2.57 FIP), who is currently riding one of his hottest stretches in recent months. The right-hander has allowed three earned runs in his past four starts combined (27 ²⁄₃ IP), helping his Mets stay atop the Braves in the NL East standings.

First pitch of the Sunday series finale is scheduled for 10:40 a.m. MDT. With a day off waiting for the Rockies on Monday, the bullpen can anticipate some form of guaranteed rest before opening a set in Atlanta on Tuesday.