Freddy Peralta, a former member of the Mets, delivered a dominant performance against his old team, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-2 victory on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. Peralta, who was traded from the Mets to the Rays on August 3 for three prospects, allowed just one earned run on three hits while striking out seven batters through six innings. This outing followed a six-scoreless-inning performance against the Tigers in his previous start, suggesting a return to form for the veteran pitcher who has posted a 3.03 ERA in his last five appearances.
Francisco Lindor greeted Peralta with a leadoff home run in the first inning, his 15th of the season. The Mets threatened to add more runs after singles by Bo Bichette and Carson Benge, but Peralta escaped further damage. The Rays quickly tied the game in the bottom of the first with an RBI single from Junior Caminero, who drove in Yandy Diaz after Diaz's leadoff double. Tampa Bay took a 2-1 lead in the third inning on an RBI single by Ryan Vilade.
Mets starter Sean Manaea struggled, surrendering five earned runs on 11 hits and a walk over 5 2/3 innings. This marks Manaea's fourth consecutive start with an ERA above 7.00, during which he has allowed 30 hits in 23 2/3 innings. In the sixth inning, Nick Fortes extended the Rays' lead to 3-1 with an RBI double, followed by a sacrifice fly from Taylor Walls and a home run by Yandy Diaz that pushed the score to 5-1.
The Mets had an opportunity to rally in the seventh with the bases loaded, but Tyler Wells struck out Juan Soto to end the threat. The Rays added another run in the eighth, and the Mets managed one more run in the ninth, but could not overcome the deficit. The loss dropped the Mets further behind in the standings, while the Rays continued their strong performance atop the division.