McLean Shines as Mets Top Phillies
PHILADELPHIA — If conditions had been different, Nolan McLean’s performance might have assured the Mets of his role as a top playoff pitcher. It’s not quite the case for this season, but there’s potential for the future.
Facing a formidable Phillies lineup on Sunday, McLean was impressive. His effort helped lead the Mets to a 6-1 victory at Citizens Bank Park, marking perhaps his best outing of the year.
The right-handed pitcher delivered six shutout innings, striking out ten batters while allowing just two hits and two walks. This win secured the rubber match in the series, giving the Mets a little boost heading into the post-All-Star break. Still, it’s hard to overlook that the Mets remain 16 games under .500.
This performance continued McLean’s trend of pitching six or more innings as a starter for the sixth consecutive time, the longest streak among Mets pitchers this season. His ERA also dropped to 3.34, its lowest since mid-May.
Interim manager Andy Greene reflected on McLean’s journey, noting, “It’s akin to many rookie seasons for promising pitchers. He’s shown glimpses of brilliance while grappling with other challenges. Still, I think there’s a lot of positives to take away from this.” He seemed optimistic, albeit cautiously.
“Ultimately, we want him leading our rotation. There’s still work ahead for him to improve and develop. It’s really something impressive when you consider he’s a rookie with a triple-digit ERA and yet there’s even more we believe he can achieve.”
To kick things off, Francisco Lindor hit a two-run homer in the first inning. The Mets staged a two-out rally after Bo Bichette walked Alan Rangel, capped by Lindor’s sixth home run of the season. Following Brett Batty’s first hit, Luis Torrence’s two-RBI double pushed the Mets’ lead to 3-0.
In the latter part of the inning, the Mets loaded the bases and extended their lead to 5-0, courtesy of an RBI single from Lindor and a sacrifice fly from Carson Benge. An RBI single by Juan Soto in the sixth left the Phillies trailing 6-0.
Torrence and AJ Ewing both managed singles in the first inning. Alec Bohm later hit a home run against AJ Minter in the seventh, giving the Phillies their sole run of the game.
