3 New York Mets to blame for disappointing start to season

DETROIT, MI - MAY 3: Pitcher Max Scherzer #21 of the New York Mets walks through the dugout after being removed from the game against the Detroit Tigers during the fourth inning of game two of a doubleheader at Comerica Park on May 3, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /

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David Peterson, New York Mets. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

The New York Mets have started the 2023 season nowhere close to where they thought they’d be but these three players deserve a ton of blame for that.

When the New York Mets saw that May began with series against the Tigers, Rockies and Reds, they had to be licking their chops. After all, with two straight offseasons of big spending from the wallet of Steve Cohen, this was supposed to a World Series contender and those opponents were fresh meat for such a team.

Instead, with a 7-6 loss to the Reds on Tuesday night, the Mets have now been swept by the Tigers, lost two out of three to the Rockies, and have now gone 0-1 against Cincinnati. That drops them to a dismal 17-19 on the season and puts New York a full eight games behind the Braves in the NL East.

Whatever the opposite of a storybook start to the season is, that’s where we’re at with the Mets. They have been nothing close to the contender we expected to see. There’s plenty of blame to go around for that but, if we have to single some players out, these three are a great place to begin.

New York Mets: 3 players most to blame for awful start

3. David Peterson has been a surefire Mets loss in his starts

Speaking of the May 9 loss to the Reds, it was David Peterson on the bump for the Mets after he was recalled from Triple-A on Tuesday due to Max Scherzer being scratched from his start due to neck spasms. And it became quite clear why Peterson had been sent down to the minors in the first place.

Making his seventh start of the year for New York, Peterson lasted just 3.1 innings as he gave up seven hits and two walks while allowing four earned runs. He also hit 87 pitches on the night, even with such limited work in terms of innings pitched.

Peterson took the loss and is now 1-5 on the year. Meanwhile, the team is 1-6 in his starts this season, his pitching being a big reason for that. His ERA now sits at an unseamly 7.68 with a 1.68 WHIP.

There wasn’t anyone expecting Peterson to be the ace of the Mets pitching staff this season, but the hope for giving him a spot in the rotation was that he could deliver something similar to what he did a season ago when he had a solid 3.83 ERA and 1.33 WHIP, something every team in baseball would take at the back end of the rotation. Instead, he’s been a major problem and on the hill for nearly one-third of the team’s losses to start the season.

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