Freddy Peralta made his first start for the New York Mets this afternoon, and he looked absolutely dominant right out of the gate. The Mets destroyed the St. Louis Cardinals 14-3 on the road in Jupiter, Florida. This was the exact type of game fans want to see. The offense exploded for 14 hits, and the pitching staff mostly shut down the Cardinals lineup. Spring training games don’t count for the regular season standings. But they do give us a great look at where the players stand from an analytics perspective. And right now, the numbers are looking very good for New York.
Peralta Looks Perfect
Freddy Peralta was perfect. He threw three innings, faced nine batters, and retired all of them. The efficiency was the best part of his outing. He needed only 29 pitches to get through three frames, and he struck out three batters along the way. You really cannot ask for a better start to his Mets tenure. We all know the analytics behind Peralta. He posted a 2.70 ERA and a 28.2 percent strikeout rate last season. He punches out hitters at an elite clip.
Today, he pounded the strike zone and made the Cardinals look lost at the plate. He struck out José Fermín swinging, got Nathan Church swinging, and caught Blaze Jordan looking at strike three. When he locates his fastball up in the zone, hitters just cannot catch up to it. He is already pitching in mid-season form.
The Offense Explodes
The offense was an absolute machine. MJ Melendez was the clear star of the game. He went 2-for-3, and both of those hits were home runs. He opened the scoring with a solo shot to left field in the fourth inning off Matt Pushard. Then, he broke the game wide open in the fifth with a three-run blast off Jose Davila that scored Jose Rojas and Hayden Senger.
Melendez ended the day with four runs batted in. A.J. Ewing also had a huge afternoon. Ewing replaced Christian Arroyo in the fifth inning and did not miss a single beat. He went a perfect 2-for-2 with a home run, a single, two RBIs, and a walk. He even stole a base. Hitting the ball hard is the key to producing runs, and these guys consistently found the barrel.
The depth of the lineup showed up in a big way. The Mets recorded 14 hits and drew nine walks as a team. Cristian Pache was locked in at the bottom of the order. He went a perfect 3-for-3 with a double, two singles, and two runs scored. Austin Barnes came off the bench and ripped a two-run double to center field in the eighth inning.
Even the guys who did not get multiple hits still contributed. Juan Soto ripped a double in the very first inning. Kevin Parada walked twice and drove in two runs with a single. The team left a few guys on base, but they hit well with runners in scoring position. They kept moving the line and refused to give away easy outs. This constant pressure completely broke the St. Louis pitching staff.
Bullpen Gets Work In
Devin Williams made his spring debut in the fourth inning. He is looking to bounce back from a tough 2025 season where his ERA jumped up to 4.79. Things started a little rocky today. He gave up a solo home run to top Cardinals prospect JJ Wetherholt on a fly ball to center field. But Williams settled down after that. He got José Fermín to pop out, lined out Nolan Gorman, and grounded out Nelson Velázquez to finish the inning.
It was just one run on one hit. You obviously want a clean inning, but getting those live game reps is what spring is for. His changeup still has that heavy fading action. Once he dials in his command, he will be a massive piece for the back of the bullpen.
Justin Hagenman took over and ate some important innings. He pitched three full frames, allowed two runs on four hits, and struck out four batters. The Cardinals managed to string together a couple of doubles against him, but he limited the damage. After that, the rest of the bullpen shut the door completely. Huascar Brazobán came in for the eighth inning and struck out two batters while giving up just one hit. Brett Banks then threw a scoreless ninth inning to wrap up the game. The pitching staff as a whole struck out ten Cardinals today. It was a dominant 14-3 win from start to finish. The Mets will be back in action tomorrow afternoon against the Washington Nationals.