David Peterson’s gem in biggest start of career saves Mets’ bullpen for Braves doubleheader

MILWAUKEE — David Peterson mostly brushed off the personal significance and pointed at the bigger picture of the game itself.

“We needed it,” the lefty said of the 5-0 win over the Brewers at American Family Field.

His manager pointed toward his starting pitcher.

“We needed that,” Carlos Mendoza said of Peterson’s enormous and scoreless seven innings.

In the biggest start of his career, Peterson — informed just a day prior that he would get the ball — came up appropriately big.

The fifth-year lefty stopped the Mets’ three-game skid, stopped the funk from the accompanying rough turn through the rotation and gave hope to a club that, well, needed it.

The Mets are in a far better position because Peterson saved a game while saving much of the bullpen.

Because the Diamondbacks already had won Sunday, the Mets were guaranteed to travel to Atlanta on Monday regardless of their game’s result, but the Peterson-led victory means they need to win just one game of a season-ending doubleheader to crack into the postseason.

With 18 innings on tap, Mendoza was going to squeeze every out he could out of Peterson.

Twenty-one outs later, both were pleased.

Peterson shut down the Brewers while allowing just one hit and walking three.

He struck out eight against Milwaukee, which sat William Contreras and Rhys Hoskins for Game 162.

“He got strike one. He stayed on the attack,” Mendoza said of Peterson, who ended his regular season with a sparkling 2.90 ERA in 21 starts. “He was aggressive. I liked the tempo. Just everything — he was in complete control of that game.”

Jackson Chourio reached on a swinging bunt with one out in the first inning, and the Brewers did not record another hit until Peterson was out of the game.

In that first inning, Chourio reached scoring position but could not go farther than third base, Peterson escaping a jam by inducing a fielder’s choice from Jake Bauers and striking out Eric Haase.

The Brewers would not reach second base again against Peterson, who retired the last seven hitters he saw and 19 of the final 21.

The 29-year-old was pulled after an efficient seven frames on 95 pitches, helping ensure only Phil Maton and Edwin Diaz were used out of a Mets bullpen that has to be ready for a marathon Monday — and has been used plenty of late because of the rotation struggles.

During the three-game skid that threatened to end the Mets’ playoff hopes, Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana combined to allow 12 runs (11 earned) in 12 innings.

Severino was knocked around in Atlanta, Manaea and Quintana in Milwaukee and the Mets’ biggest second-half strength had stopped flexing.

But Peterson, excellent ever since debuting in late May following offseason hip surgery, pitched one of his best games in his biggest game.

“I’m trying to go as long as I can no matter what,” Peterson said. “Just trying to give the team everything I had.”