The Mets lost to the Houston Astros, 8-2, on Saturday night in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Freddy Peralta made the 45-minute trip down south to make his third start of the spring against the Astros and looked sharp as he has all camp with four innings of one-run ball. The lone run allowed by the right-hander came in the first inning after Yordan Alvarez singled home Taylor Trammell who walked to lead off the game before stealing second base.

From there it was smooth sailing for Peralta who ended the first inning by getting Carlos Correa to ground into a double play and then retired the next nine batters in a row. He finished with five strikeouts to one walk and threw 56 pitches (39 strikes), 11 more pitches than his previous outing on March 8 against the Yankees.

New York's Opening Day starter will likely have one more start this spring before gearing up for the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 26 at Citi Field.

-- With most of the Mets' projected starters staying behind, the offense was hard to come by, particularly against Ryan Weiss who went the first 4.1 innings and outdueled Peralta by allowing no runs on two hits and a walk. A.J. Ewing got New York's first hit with a single in the fourth and finished 1-for-2 with a walk in the leadoff spot. The youngster raised his batting average to .381 and has been one of the more impressive players in Mets camp.

-- Speaking of impressive young players, Carson Benge also had a productive day at the plate, going 1-for-3 batting third. His single in the sixth came with runners on first and second but the runners were only able to move up a base. New York squandered the bases loaded and one out opportunity with two consecutive strikeouts.

-- Ben Rortvedt, who replaced Austin Barnes at catcher in the bottom of the sixth, had the best night for the Mets with his 2-for-2 performance. He scored both of New York's runs and had the Mets' only extra-base hit with his leadoff double in the ninth.

-- Cristian Pache, still vying for a spot on the Opening Day roster, also had a solid night at the plate by going 2-for-4 with an RBI. He's hitting .440 this spring and is an option to make the roster as the team's fourth outfielder.

-- Mitch Voit, New York's 2025 first-round pick, made his first start of spring training and got his first hit as well in the nine hole while playing second base.

-- Mark Vientos' rough spring continued with an 0-for-4 night. He's now batting .048.

-- The Mets allowed the Astros to steal three bases, including one of home in the seventh inning.

Game MVP: Yordan Alvarez

Alvarez finished 2-for-3 with a three-run home run.

Here are the takeaways...

Game MVP: Yordan Alvarez

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