NEW YORK — The Phillies rocked David Peterson in the first inning of his season debut.
It just so happened that, because of the rain that temporarily derailed the Mets' schedule, Peterson's second start of the season also came against the Phillies.
The left-hander's response to their success against him last time out: Six innings of one-run baseball with 10 strikeouts (matching a career high) and no walks. It was probably the best start of his young career, and it propelled the Mets to a 5-1 victory over the Phillies that kept them in first place in the NL East.
The Mets (5-3) have won three in a row, tying their longest winning streak from a year ago. But in 2020, they took them 26 games to do it, whereas they did it in eight this season. They're also two games over .500 for the first time since they finished the 2019 season 10 games over that mark.
In his last start, Peterson allowed four runs in the first inning. This time around, he set the tone in a 1-2-3 first that ended with strikeouts of Rhys Hoskins (who hit a homer and two doubles off Peterson a week ago) and Bryce Harper.
Wednesday's game might have been the best start of Peterson's young career. He took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Jean Segura homered for the Phillies (6-6). In the second inning, Dominic Smith committed an error on a fly ball that popped out of his glove on the warning track in left, but it didn't hurt the Mets because Peterson retired the next three men, two via strikeout.
Peterson exited the game after six innings and only 80 pitches, which meant the Mets, in with a one-run lead, needed nine outs from their bullpen.
Manager Luis Rojas first called on Jeurys Familia, who walked the leadoff man, only earned one out and eventually left the game with runners on the corners.
Then Rojas summoned left-hander Aaron Loup, who has been put in a couple of tough spots already this season. Against pinch-hitter Didi Gregorius, who is usually the Phillies' starting shortstop, Loup induced a ground ball that went to Francisco Lindor, who shuffled and touched second, then threw to first for the inning-ending double play. Loup also pitched a scoreless eighth.
At the plate, the Mets faced former teammate Zack Wheeler. They began the evening against him with three straight singles and eventually scored two runs off Wheeler in that first inning.
Then they were silent.
Peterson dealt. The bullpen tried to hang on for dear life.
Still silent.
Then in the seventh, Lindor and Dominic Smith hit one-out singles to knock out Wheeler. Facing newly entered reliever Sam Coonrod, Pete Alonso lofted a sacrifice fly into left field to score an insurance run that was pretty important considering the Mets' bullpen has been a roller coaster ride thus far.
James McCann provided more breathing room in the eighth, launching a two-run homer off JoJo Romero to give the Mets a four-run lead.
The encouraging part for the Mets is the scary part for opponents: They're playing like this after multiple postponements — a few due to the Nationals' COVID-19 positives, a couple because of rain.
So what kind of team can they be once they get to string together more games?
