Winning 10 games in a row and then dropping 10 straight in May- that’s the cycle the Chicago Cubs have been stuck in this season. Now, they have another bizarre record on their hands: winning one game by more than 15 runs and losing the next by more than 15 runs. The Cubs’ newly acquired starter was on the mound for the crushing defeat, and, as expected, he became the focus of the fans’ ire.

Towards the end of June, Jed Hoyer sent infielder Cole Mathis to the New York Mets to acquire David Peterson. Now, at the time, it did seem like a gamble, given that the pitcher was posting his career-worst numbers. However, it appeared to be successful on his debut night for the Cubs, as Peterson kept the damage limited to only 2 runs. But any relief Hoyer might have felt vanished quickly.

During the Cubs’ 17-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, Peterson surrendered a career-high 10 runs. Over 3.2 innings, he gave up nine hits and three walks while recording three strikeouts, as posted by Talkin’ Baseball on X.

On Friday, Peterson started bleeding runs early with a three-run shot in the second. Despite giving up three more runs on a sacrifice fly, a single, and a double in the next inning, Peterson remained on the mound. With an already banged-up relief corps, manager Craig Counsell had no choice but to continue with the pitcher. The southpaw surrendered a couple more runs before Bryse Wilson replaced him, ending the dreadful start.

Unfortunately, the offense failed to dig the Cubs out of the 11-0 hole Peterson landed them in. Furthermore, the bullpen also allowed 6 runs to give the Cardinals an astronomical 17-1 lead. Ramirez scoring on Alex Bregman’s single was the only scoring play the Cubs made.

By dropping the game to the Cardinals after their 23-3 victory over the San Diego Padres, the Cubs became the second team in MLB history to win and lose two consecutive games with a 15-run difference. Previously, the Boston Beaneaters followed a 25-8 win with a 17-2 loss in Chicago against the Colts (today’s Cubs) on September 10-11 in 1984.

With Peterson’s season once again back on the same trajectory as with the Mets, Chicago fans are not holding back.

Cubs fans react strongly to David Peterson’s poor start

One fan wrote, “It was an all-around rough day for him. He looked like he was struggling with command from the start, got drilled by a comebacker, then got left in far longer than he should have due to the Cubs’ bullpen situation.”

The Cubs currently do not possess a bullpen strong enough to back up starting pitching just after 2 innings. Closer Daniel Palencia, Ethan Roberts, and Phil Maton are all on the IL. So, Counsell could not pull the starter from the game, even if it was for the best. Despite being hit, Peterson remained in the game.

Another fan also commented on the same, writing, “He got hit with a liner before giving up any runs. He definitely should’ve been evaluated and taken out of the game, but they were already coming off a rain delay so he just kept pitching. I’ll give him another chance next start.”

In the second inning, a comebacker from Jordan Blaze hit Peterson on the shoulder hard. Despite that, Peterson powered through and kept pitching. However, Peterson surrendered his three-run homer immediately after the injury.

“Pheeeew, I thought we made a mistake after his first outing!” commented another.

The Cubs acquired Peterson with the vision that he would be able to leave behind his pitching troubles in New York. It also appeared so against the Milwaukee Brewers. Peterson did not allow any walks, but gave up only 2 runs on 5 hits. But he is back again to posting career-worst numbers. However, if he can turn his next start around, then the hit could be blamed for Friday’s collapse.

A user remarked, “This guy is not good! No control and doesn’t get many swing and misses! Cubs pick up another team’s trash again!!”

Another wrote, “Maybe getting a pitcher who lost his spot in the rotation with the Mets wasn’t the best idea.”

Peterson posted a 6.09 ERA across 16 outings and a 3-6 record for the Mets. These numbers are his worst in his seven years with the team. Yet Jed Hoyer picked him as the person to bolster their rotation, and it has yet to yield fruitful results.

Scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the 2026 season, David Peterson needs to figure things out soon.