Yoenis Cespedes ghosted the Mets and they got better. Robinson Cano incurred an adductor strain and the Mets got better. Amed Rosario developed an upset stomach and the Mets got better.

What hasn’t killed them has made them longer.

The Mets outclassed the Nationals 8-2 in a Thursday matinee. They did this behind a pitcher in David Peterson, who was not even considered one of the six starters for five spots in spring training 1.0. Behind a defense-first backup catcher in Tomas Nido, who hit two homers and drove in six runs. Behind a team-leading fourth homer from Dom Smith, the biggest beneficiary of Cespedes’ vanishing act. And behind the continued all-around excellence of Andres Gimenez and Luis Guillorme in filling in for Rosario and Cano.

Recent Mets seasons have underwhelmed for many reasons. Near the top was that they were undermanned. Their subs were subpar. The back of their bullpen was bashed and Bashlor.

Through one third of this season, the Mets are just 9-11, but it would be so much worse if their B-squad was not getting As. Depth, of all things, is why they still have a shot in the NL East. The two-time division champ Braves are down Ronald Acuna Jr. and a lot of their rotation. The Phillies’ bullpen is a circular firing squad. The Nationals (6-9) resemble the club that struggled for the first third of the season last year, but in 162 games rallied to win a championship. The Marlins have had to remake their roster with the season in progress due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

And as opposed to the Mets and Braves, the Nationals, Phillies and especially the Marlins have onerous schedules upcoming to make up for games lost for virus-related reasons that will expose just what they have in reserve.

It is counterintuitive to think depth was going to matter as much as ever in a season 100-plus games shorter than normal. But the virus, uneven preparation and general weirdness are forcing every club to reach deep — into their resolve and their roster. And, so far, the Mets are receiving positive results, having flipped their identity from a club overly reliant on their rotation to one finding strength in the length of their bullpen and lineup alternatives.

That the rotation is not more worrisome is because Peterson is acting like Andy Pettitte in 1995-96, delivering advanced poise and big pitches. Zack Wheeler left for free agency, Noah Syndergaard was lost after Tommy John surgery, Marcus Stroman opted out, Michael Wacha has a bum shoulder and Steven Matz is devolving. Peterson, therefore, has moved from the chorus to center stage, from inessential to irreplaceable.

He opened Thursday with two walks sandwiched around a two-base Nido error to load the bases with no out and bring up Juan Soto, which pretty much defines going from bad to worse. Except Peterson whiffed the best young hitter in the game on three pitches, escaped with one unearned run yielded en route to otherwise shutting out the Nats on one hit through five innings.

Luis Rojas removed the lefty after five innings and 74 pitches because he was feeling soreness in the back of his shoulder that both manager and starter insisted was normal and not worrisome. Let’s see him make his next start before any further downplaying.

That Peterson did not give up more runs in the first was because Jeff McNeil made a fearless and fantastic running catch to rob Asdrubal Cabrera of a two-run double. This being 2020 and the Mets, he slammed into the Northwell Health ad on the left-center-field wall and crumbled. McNeil needed to be carted off, but the Mets said X-rays and an MRI revealed only a knee contusion and that he is day-to-day.

View Slideshow

Source: Read Full Article