#David Peterson stymies Braves to give Mets’ playoff hopes a boost

Suddenly, the Mets’ starting rotation looks stronger. The future, too.

Leading the Mets to their third win in four games, rookie David Peterson recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts, while allowing one run in six innings of a 7-2 win over the Braves on Saturday night at Citi Field.

Peterson (5-2), who had thrown more than 70 pitches just once since returning from the injured list on Aug. 28, completed six innings for just the second time in his career, allowing three hits, while throwing a career-high 102 pitches (62 strikes). The 25-year-old southpaw, who lowered his ERA to 3.83, had previously never thrown more than 87 pitches, but joined Jacob deGrom as the Mets’ only pitchers with double-digit strikeout performances this season.

Entering his fifth game since missing two weeks with shoulder fatigue, Peterson wasn’t the most acclaimed rookie taking the mound in Queens. Atlanta’s Ian Anderson, the 22-year-old, former No. 3-overall pick, had gone 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA in his first four career starts, and was coming off a one-hitter over seven shutout innings.

But in the first inning, Anderson faced his first real struggles in the majors. After he issued walks to the first three hitters he faced, Robinson Cano put the Mets in front with a two-run single through the left side. Anderson was removed after 4 ²/₃ innings, having also surrendered a fourth-inning, run-scoring double to struggling catcher Robinson Chirinos, who notched his first hit since Sept. 5 and third overall since being acquired by the Mets on Aug. 31.

Meanwhile, Peterson — a fellow former first-round pick — authored his most dominant major league outing despite hitting multiple speedbumps.

Peterson’s first of four walks came in the game’s first at-bat, but the rookie quickly ran through the inning with strikeouts of Freddie Freeman and Marcell Ozuna, while also picking off Ronald Acuna Jr. at first base. The second inning started with another walk and an Adam Duvall double, but Peterson showed poise, getting Ozzie Albies to pop up, before escaping the inning with back-to-back strikeouts.

When another two runners reached base in the third inning, Peterson extinguished the threat with an inning-ending strikeout of Travis d’Arnaud. Peterson’s 10th strikeout came on his third takedown of Freeman, the NL MVP frontrunner, ending the fifth inning with another Atlanta runner stranded at third.

Despite already surpassing his previous highest pitch total, Peterson was sent out for the sixth inning, looking to leave without allowing an earned run for the third time in his past six outings. Instead, Duvall hit a two-out homer to left, cutting the Mets lead to 3-1.

Then, the cushion of six strong innings nearly evaporated in the seventh.

Entering for Peterson, Miguel Castro gave up a leadoff double and two walks, and was removed after recording one out. Lefty Justin Wilson arrived to save Peterson’s win, Castro’s ERA and the Mets’ hopes, quickly inducing an inning-ending double play from Freeman.

The Braves cut the deficit to 3-2 when d’Arnaud homered off former teammate Jeurys Familia in the eighth inning, but Dominic Smith and Cano led off the bottom of the inning with back-to-back home runs, sparking the game-sealing four-run frame.