PHOENIX, Arizona — The Mets turned to Huascar Brazobán as an opener Sunday at Chase Field, with David Peterson set to handle the bulk of the work in a game that could decide whether New York leaves its West Coast trip with a third consecutive series win. The matchup against the Diamondbacks started at 4:10 PM ET on May 10, 2026.
Brazobán came in at 2-0 with a 1.53 ERA, while Eduardo Rodríguez started for Arizona at 3-0 with a 2.50 ERA. The Mets were trying to rebound after a 2-1 loss on May 9, a game they led 1-0 early before the Diamondbacks pulled it back. Sunday gave them another chance to settle a series that had already turned into a test of how much offense they could scrape together away from home.
Peterson’s role carried the most uncertainty. In eight starts this season, he had worked 34 1/3 innings with a 6.29 ERA, a 3.25 FIP, a 1.602 WHIP and a 64 ERA+. He was sharper in relief, with an 11-inning sample that produced a 2.45 ERA and a 1.000 WHIP, and his strikeout-to-walk rate climbed from 2.00 as a starter to 9.00 out of the bullpen. He had also already seen Arizona once this year, when he allowed five runs over five innings against the Diamondbacks earlier in the season.
Rodríguez brought the steadier recent form. In seven starts totaling 39 2/3 innings, he had a 2.50 ERA, a 4.42 FIP, a 1.286 WHIP and a 168 ERA+, and over his last two outings he had given up two runs across 11 2/3 innings while striking out 11 batters. He had also held the Mets to one run over six innings earlier in the season, which gave Arizona a familiar answer if the game turned into a duel of pitchers who had already seen each other.
Before first pitch, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Luis Robert Jr. had not yet resumed baseball activities and that there was no timetable for Jorge Polanco’s return. Mendoza said Polanco was having good days and bad days, a reminder that the club’s roster picture was still unsettled even as it tried to keep its series momentum alive. He also said Kodai Senga would throw a bullpen Sunday, while A.J. Minter had already thrown one Saturday after his rehab clock was restarted because of hip soreness.
The Mets have been searching for runs for stretches of this trip, and that put extra pressure on the pitching plan in Phoenix. Using Brazobán to open and Peterson to cover the heavier load was a practical answer, not a luxury, and it fit a team that has been mixing roles when the schedule and the roster demand it. Sunday’s game was less about style than survival: the Mets needed enough innings, enough command and enough offense to turn a tight loss into a series win before the road trip rolled on.
