McLean’s Solid Showing Falls Short in Mets’ Loss

In Queens, this is what we call deGrom: unfulfilled potential.

Nolan McLean had a standout performance, even while the Mets’ offense struggled to make an impression. He pitched flawlessly until the sixth inning. Unfortunately, the bullpen faltered, and the batting lineup didn’t help him escape the mess.

The Mets ended up losing the series to the Diamondbacks, with a score of 7-1. Despite his strong effort in the chilly conditions at Citi Field, McLean ended up with the loss.

“At the end of the day, it’s just part of baseball. I’m putting guys out there, and frankly, the bullpen’s going to struggle at times,” McLean noted. “It’s happened before, and that’s how it goes. It’s a long season, and I know they’re behind me.”

McLean was leading 1-0 with one out in the seventh when he exited, leaving two runners on base. Luke Weaver came in and, almost immediately, everything unraveled. Right fielder Brett Batty failed to catch a hit that went straight to the fence, and Mark Vientos misthrew a ground ball from Alec Thomas. That allowed Arizona to take the lead and they piled on, scoring seven runs in total during the seventh and eighth innings.

“He should feel good about what he did today, and trust us to get things right,” Weaver said. “He deserved a win, and I’ll make sure to step up for him next time.”

Despite the bleak end, McLean’s performance was noteworthy. He recorded eight strikeouts, issued two walks, and allowed just three hits over 6¹/₃ innings. He threw 100 pitches, with 64 hitting the strike zone, placing his young season ERA at 2.70.

He had a particularly strong first five innings, allowing only one hit. But then, in the seventh, McLean walked Gerardo Perdomo and, with just one out, allowed a soft single from Jose Fernando. Things quickly got complicated.

In his career so far, McLean has made 11 starts and has allowed more than two earned runs only once, a feat matched only by Jim McAndrew among Mets pitchers.

“He had all his pitches working, especially the sinker,” said coach Carlos Mendoza. “In previous games, it was a bit off, but today he commanded it much better. Everything was solid.”

This situation feels a lot like the early days of Jacob deGrom’s career with the Mets. Once again, McLean was left without the necessary support from both the lineup and the bullpen.