Freddy Peralta finally got the monkey off his back. After weeks of struggling to work deep into games, the right-hander delivered six efficient innings for the Mets on Thursday—but it wasn't enough to prevent a frustrating series finale loss to the Nationals.

Peralta admitted after his last start that the pressure to go deep had been weighing on him. Despite those concerns, manager Carlos Mendoza remained confident. "He's an ace, he'll get there," Mendoza said. And just five days later, Peralta proved his skipper right—sort of.

The outing wasn't without drama. In the second inning, Peralta issued a leadoff walk, then botched a comebacker that could have been a routine double play. Instead, his throw went wild, allowing the Nationals to scratch across the first two runs of the game. "Mistakes happen," Peralta said afterward. "I felt stupid, but things happen."

Washington struck again in the third, but then Peralta found his rhythm. The Mets' offense picked him up, and he retired eight straight batters before running into trouble in that elusive sixth inning. As he issued back-to-back walks, old doubts crept in. "I'm not going to lie," Peralta admitted. "But I told myself I have to get the job done—and I was able to do it." He escaped the jam and finished with three runs (one earned) on four hits, three walks, and six strikeouts.

It was just the second time this season Peralta completed six innings—a milestone for a pitcher who had been criticized for his lack of depth early on. But the effort was wasted. In the top of the eighth, reliever Luke Weaver surrendered a go-ahead two-run homer to CJ Abrams, sealing another ugly loss for the Mets.

"It's frustrating because we all want to win," Peralta said. For a team trying to find its footing, wasted gems like this one sting just a little more.