NEW YORK — Buck Showalter had wondered aloud Sunday whether David Peterson was going to be available to deliver his pitches Monday against Miami. The Mets’ manager knew Peterson’s wife was going to have to head to a hospital one of these days for a different kind of delivery.
Less than 90 minutes before the game at Citi Field, Showalter was asked for the alternative starters if Peterson’s wife went into labor and the pitcher had to bolt before the first pitch.
“Why, is it important?” Showalter asked, playfully. “It’s not going to happen, hopefully. I’ve got to call Mrs. Peterson.”
Mr. Peterson ended up taking the ball and doing good things with it. The 26-year-old lefty skillfully pitched out of trouble several times on the way to 5 1/3 scoreless innings. The Mets were on their way to a 6-0 win in the series finale.
The Mets, who got three RBIs from the previously struggling Eduardo Escobar, moved to 45-24 after winning five of seven on the homestand, including three of four against the Marlins. This marked the Mets’ 16th series win out of 21. They have lost only three and split two.
The one negative regarding their workday came when Jeff McNeil left after the fourth inning with tightness in his right hamstring.
Peterson was a positive. He improved to 4-1 with a 3.18 ERA after yielding six singles. He walked two, hit one and fanned seven. Sixty of his 100 pitches landed in the strike zone. Adam Ottavino, Drew Smith and Yoan Lopez finished off a combined seven-hitter.
The Mets began backing Peterson in the first, nicking lefty Trevor Rogers (3-6) for a run.
Brandon Nimmo lined a leadoff double to right-center, his first of three hits. Starling Marte reached on an error. Francisco Lindor reached on an infield single to load the bases. After Pete Alonso struck out, Rogers missed with a full-count fastball against Mark Canha — 1-0.
The Mets scored two more in the fourth. J.D. Davis worked out a one-out walk. McNeil grounded a double to left-center, extending his hitting streak to eight games. Escobar then lifted a sac fly to left.
McNeil tagged and went to third, then ran home on a wild pitch. He appeared to be walking a bit gingerly back to the dugout. Luis Guillorme replaced him at second for the fifth.
Alonso, leading the majors with 63 RBIs at the start of the day, added another in the fifth with a sac fly that made it 4-0.
Escobar then snapped a 0-for-23 skid with a two-run single in the eighth.
Peterson had been up and down as a fill-in starter with injuries plaguing the rotation. His previous three had been kind of down. The longest lasted 4 2/3.
“Command,” Showalter said. “ . . . He gets out of sync and doesn’t get back in for a few hitters, pitches. He gets a little quick down the hill. The release point moves around a little bit.”
This time, his command was better. The Marlins (29-36) still managed several threats.
They had runners at first and second after a couple of singles to open the second. Jerar Encarnacion, who beat the Mets on Sunday with a grand slam off Seth Lugo, followed with a hard grounder wide of third. Escobar made a diving stop and got the force at second, leaving runners at the corners.
Peterson got Bryan De La Cruz looking at an fastball and Luke Williams swinging at a slider to escape.
Third inning, another first-and-second, no-out situation, another escape.
Fifth inning, first and second with one out, another escape. Peterson got Jorge Soler to ground into a 5-4-3 double play.
After allowing a single and walk with one out in the sixth, Peterson left to a loud ovation. Ottavino escaped the jam for him, getting Encarnacion to hit into another 5-4-3 double play.
