Miguel Cairo beamed with pride as the Washington Nationals' interim manager spoke about the hard work it took for him and his Venezuelan countryman, Carlos Mendoza, to get jobs leading Major League Baseball teams.

It’s no secret that Peterson, of all the Mets’ starters, has been the guy relied upon to pitch deep. This was the 16th time in 24 starts that Peterson has finished at least six innings; the rest of the rotation has done it 18 times in 101 tries. It’s the eighth time a Mets starter has finished seven or more innings; Peterson owns six of those.

The New York Mets look to continue their modest upswing on Tuesday when they open a three-game series against the host Washington Nationals.

PITCHING PROBABLES: Mets: David Peterson (7-5, 3.30 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 117 strikeouts); Nationals: Jake Irvin (8-7, 5.14 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 94 strikeouts)