Blake Snell, Padres aim to derail Mets’ winning streak

The New York Mets added to the San Diego Padres‘ season-long frustrations Friday night, and there could be an injury repercussion this time

With the score tied 3-3 and one out in the bottom of the seventh, Ha-Seong Kim doubled into the left field corner. As Mets‘ left fielder Tommy Pham raced to field the ball, Kim, an aggressive base runner, decided to go for the triple. He failed as Pham made a perfect throw to third

Kim’s frustration at being thrown out resulted in him kicking the water cooler adjacent to the dugout, forcing Kim to leave the game with an injury to his right big toe and make him questionable for the rest of the weekend.

“It was sore enough to force him out of the game,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said of Kim after the game. “I don’t think it’s going to feel better tomorrow, though X-rays were negative.

Kim, a spunky second baseman, could be forced to sit Saturday in the home rematch with the Mets

David Peterson (2-6, 6.61 ERA) will start for the Mets against Blake Snell (5-7, 3.03) in a contest of left-handers

Don’t be misled by Snell’s won-loss record. He was the National League’s Pitcher of the Month for June with a 3-1 record and a 0.87 ERA, and he gave up three runs on 13 hits with eight walks and .124 opponents’ batting average in 31 innings over five starts.

Snell will be out to snap the Mets‘ winning streak, which now stands at a season-high six games

“We’re playing better and getting results,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “Peterson has pitched much better since his return.

The 27-year-old Peterson started the season in the Mets‘ rotation. But after eight starts, Peterson was 1-6 with an 8.08 ERA. Those numbers earned Peterson a trip to Triple-A Syracuse, where he posted a 1-2 record and 4.86 ERA in seven starts

The Mets have won both his starts since his return on June 27. He has given up one run on eight hits and six walks in 10 innings. His ERA has dropped by almost 1.5 runs per nine innings

“I knew what I was throwing out there wasn’t up to par,” Peterson said of his pre-demotion outings. “It was pretty easy to get over that and focus on what I needed to do to get back.”

That was to reclaim command of his slider, get more groundouts and end his dependency on the strikeout.

Meanwhile, Snell’s slider also had returned recently, turning him into a devastating strikeout pitcher.

“Right now, he’s as good as any pitcher in the game,” Melvin said. “It’s strike one. When he’s ahead in the count, few are more difficult to hit.”

Since June 1, Snell is 4-1 in six starts with a 0.75 ERA and a .160 opponents’ batting average with 12 walks and 60 strikeouts in 36 innings. That’s an average of 15 strikeouts per game and a 5-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His career averages are 11 strikeouts per nine innings and a 2.79-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

–Field Level Media