On Tuesday night, the New York Mets were getting crushed by the Cincinnati Reds. However, if that wasn’t enough, starting pitcher David Peterson also ended up making a terrible mental mistake. He forgot one of the most basic rules, backing up home plate on a wild throw. Even though the mistake didn’t cause the loss, the play still looked horrible.

The mental gaffe led manager Carlos Mendoza to call out his $8.1 million veteran pitcher.

“No, not at all. You hate to see it, obviously. It can’t happen, especially at this level. Physical mistakes are going to happen, but mental mistakes, especially when you’re not playing well,” SNY Mets quoted Mendoza.

Peterson had a great 2025 season as a starting pitcher for the Mets, posting a 15-7 record with a 3.42 ERA. However, his dominance was thrown for a toss in 2026, as he currently stands at a 5.57 ERA. On Tuesday, he served perhaps his worst outing, allowing 14 runners to reach base in five innings.

But his worst moment was his lack of focus, not a bad pitch.

By the sixth, the Reds were leading 5-0. The Reds’ Tyler Stephenson hit off Peterson’s slider to the left field corner. Bo Bichette made a wild throw to the home plate after collecting from MJ Melendez. That would ideally cover the third and second bases for the Reds, but the Mets’ catcher, Luis Torrens, failed to glove the throw. JJ Bleday scored from third base while Peterson failed to back up a play at the plate.

Citi Field booed, and Mendoza visited the mound, pulling Peterson out. But the damage was already done. The Reds went ahead by 6-0 and eventually won 7-2.

The Mets signed an $8.1 million deal for one year with Peterson based on his 2025 numbers. Last year, he threw his second career complete game and first nine-inning shutout against the Nationals. However, as the Mets’ slump worsens, former pitcher Ron Darling wonders if the coaching staff has any influence in the Mets clubhouse.

“I don’t understand it,” Darling said. “It really tells me that coaches really don’t have as much influence as the players as they think they have because someone should rip someone at some point. But they don’t because they don’t want to upset anyone. You have to back up bases every single time.”

This is not the first time that Mendoza called out his clubhouse. “There’s so much I could sit here and say that we worry – we’ve got to go out and do it ourselves. We’re not putting ourselves in good positions. It’s not early anymore. Whatever I say here doesn’t matter; we’ve got to go out there and do it,” Mendoza said after the first game loss against the Reds.

In that game, Nolan McLean struggled, and the next day, Peterson struggled. But the Mets manager thinks there’s no issue with the players’ accountability.

“As far as the messaging from my end, I know for sure, and the coaching staff and the way we hold people accountable, it doesn’t necessarily have to be in front of the camera,” Mendoza added. “As far as the messaging is concerned, there’s no concern. It’s everything behind the scenes, but until we go out there and do it and play better, for me to say something here… we got to go out and do it.”

Despite Mendoza repeatedly calling out the clubhouse and confirming that there’s no accountability issue, the Mets’ on-field lapses are far from being ideal. Their offensive struggle is making things worse.

The Mets’ offense is seeking a breather

In terms of offense, the Mets are ranked at the bottom in every aspect. They are ranked 28th in terms of average (.226) and 27th in terms of total runs scored (214).

High-profile offseason acquisitions and veterans such as Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien have underperformed, failing to consistently reach the .600 OPS threshold in the first two months. Targeted additions like Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr. have missed significant time due to injuries. That has left the middle of the order with no protection behind Juan Soto.

The Mets won the third game against the Reds, riding on Soto’s and Eric Wagaman’s homers, but power-hitting was missing from the previous two games.

However, amid these woes, the only silver lining was Jorge Polanco’s potential return. He is currently rehabbing with Double-A Binghamton. He went 1-for-2 as the DH in his recent rehab assignment. Since April 15, he has been sidelined with Achilles bursitis. Polanco should be back by next week. It should arm the struggling offense.

Nevertheless, the Mets’ 2026 slump is far from getting resolved with Polanco’s return. It needs an overhaul, which may require some uneasy decisions.