NEW YORK (AP) — David Peterson pitched into the sixth inning with his wife expected to go into labor imminently, and the New York Mets beat the Miami Marlins 6-0 Monday despite losing Jeff McNeil to injury.
Mets manager Buck Showatler joked Monday morning that New York was on “baby watch” with Peterson, McNeil and Seth Lugo all awaiting newborns. Lugo was placed on the paternity list before the game.
Peterson was prepared to leave the park if his wife, Alex, went into labor with the couple's first child, and the Mets had contingencies if he couldn't make the start.
The call didn't come, and Peterson (4-1) covered 5 1/3 innings with a season-high seven strikeouts on 100 pitches. He allowed six hits and two walks as the Mets won the four-game series by finishing their 11th shutout this season, tying the Yankees for the major league lead.
McNeil left in the fourth inning with right hamstring tightness after scoring on a wild pitch.
New York's J.D. Davis was hit on the left hand by a pitch in the eighth, the league-leading 50th Mets player plunked this season. Davis threw his bat in pain but remained in the game. Davis had surgery in the offseason to repair a torn ligament in his left hand that bothered him throughout 2021.
The Mets dinked and dunked their way to a 4-0 lead against Trevor Rogers (3-6) with two sacrifice flies, Mark Canha's bases-loaded walk and McNeil's scurry home. Rogers was charged with three earned runs over five innings with seven strikeouts.
Canha's RBI free pass came in the first inning, when New York loaded the bases with the help of an error by third baseman Jon Berti.
The Mets manufactured two more runs in the fourth. Davis tagged up and aggressively took home on Eduardo Escobar's shallow fly to left, then McNeil took home on a wild pitch that skipped about 10 feet away from catcher Jacob Stallings.
McNeil had reached with a hit against the shift — the left-handed hitter entered the game hitting .380 when teams stacked three infielders on the right side of second base.
McNeil walked off uneasily after scoring and went straight to the clubhouse. He was replaced at second base by Luis Guillorme.
Pete Alonso added a sac fly in the fifth that scored Brandon Nimmo, who had three hits.
Peterson allowed a single and a walk with one out in the sixth before being lifted, and he walked off to a standing ovation. Adam Ottavino replaced Peterson with two on in the sixth and got an inning-ending double play from Jerar Encarnación.
Eduardo Escobar tacked on a two-run single in the eighth.
PARTY POPPER
The game was paused briefly in the fifth inning when two balloons dropped into the outfield, and Marlins center fielder Bryan De La Cruz chased them down and threw them back into the stands.
The second balloon floated back into play moments later, and a frustrated De La Cruz jogged back to the wall to fetch it again. This time, he feigned like he was going to throw the orange balloon back into the stands, then popped it under his arm, prompting applause and laughter from the crowd of 34,947.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Mets: RHP Max Scherzer (oblique) will make a rehab start with Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday and could rejoin New York to start Sunday. ... 1B/OF Dominic Smith was promoted from Triple-A Syracuse, ending his three-week stint in the minor leagues. Smith hit .186 in 101 plate appearances with New York before being demoted May 31. He arrived late in the game and was greeted with hugs by teammates in the dugout.
UP NEXT
Marlins: LHP Daniel Castano (0-1, 0.00 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game set against Colorado and RHP Ryan Feltner (1-2, 4.85) on Tuesday night.
Mets: RHP Trevor Williams (1-3, 3.53) is scheduled for the first of two games at Houston. He'll face RHP José Urquidy (5-3, 4.99) on Tuesday night.
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