Mets Get A Locked-In McLean Who Featured Command Plus Control Against Reds Yesterday

The Mets need Nolan McLean--badly. McLean has had some starts where he’s looked like an ordinary rookie, but the Mets need him to step up and help anchor their rotation if they’re going to become more consistent and genuinely contend for a playoff berth. 

Yesterday against the Cincinnati Reds, the Mets saw the version of McLean that could help them get there. He was commanding his fastball, which was up in the high 90s, and McLean also walked only one hitter for the first time since May 8, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, who indicated that was the thing manager Carlos Mendoza was most impressed by. 

“Man, that was excellent,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He dominated that lineup. He was on today. He was spot-on. And the way he was using not only the four-seamer, but the sinker, the cutter, allowed him to use his secondary pitches. But man, that was pretty impressive there.”

That kind of command also gave McLean the ability to provide length, which the Mets badly need right now. Their bullpen has been a big strength, but several relievers have been overworked as the Mets have had to go at least four innings in multiple games recently. 

McLean’s  ERA over his last four starts is 1.64. Those numbers are closer to what McLean gave the Mets last year, when he went 4-1 with a 1.27 ERA over his first seven career starts. 

The right-hander’s biggest problem has been his walk rate, which has skied from 3.0 to 3.7 before yesterday’s game, according to DiComo. There’s also a book among hitters about McLean, so they’re less winning to swing at pitches lower in the zone, which means he’s getting fewer ground balls. 

Reds manager Terry Francona has seen McLean twice lately, first back in New York, then yesterday, and he, too, citied the right-hander’s ability to throw strikes. 

“I think we saw the better version [Wednesday],” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “Everybody sees the velocity, but I thought his breaking ball was really good. The last time in New York, it was out of the zone enough. It was good today.”

McLean’s take on this was more generic this time around. He often tends to focus on the minutia of his pitch arsenal, but yesterday he focused on something different. 

“I wouldn’t say I put any more pressure or responsibility on myself,” McLean said. “Every time I go out there, I’m trying to win a baseball game. I think if everybody’s trying to do that and we’re all pulling the same rope, good things will happen.”