McLean, Offense Roll in Mets’ 12-7 Win Over Braves

Nolan McLean tripped on the mound and plunked Jurickson Profar with his first pitch. When the rookie left the mound after his last toss, he had helped the Mets break an embarrassing streak.

McLean (2-0) struck out seven over seven innings in his first road start, and the offense tied a season high with 21 hits in a 12-7 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday at Truist Park.

“There’s a lot to like about this kid,” manager Carlos Mendoza told Apple TV+ during the fourth inning. “The way he carried himself. And his ability to slow the game down. And he can spin the baseball. This is a guy that even when he gets behind in counts he’s got the ability to throw the breaking ball for strikes and don’t forget he’s got 97, 98 (mph) when he needs to. The sinker. So there’s a lot to like about him.”

Hitting with runners in scoring position has been a recurring problem for the Mets this season, but they went 8-for-18 Friday, including a Cedric Mullins two-out, two-run triple off lefty Joey Wentz in the third inning. It put New York up 4-0 and pleased Mendoza.

“Yeah, especially with two strikes, left on left,” Mendoza said. “He’s been pretty good this year against lefties. I feel like he  keeps missing good pitches to hit. On that occasion there, he came through big time for us.”

The Mets (68-60) added three runs in the fourth on a Starling Marte sacrifice fly and RBI doubles from Mark Vientos and Tyrone Taylor. McLean gave up his first homer in the major leagues to Ronald Acuna Jr., a solo shot that pulled the Braves (58-70) within 7-2 in the fourth.

McLean, 24, gave up two runs on four hits and didn’t walk a batter. He also did something no Met starter other than David Peterson had done in 62 games: go at least six innings (I came to picture the “Seinfeld” soup Nazi telling Mendoza, “no Peterson, no six innings for you”). Not having two starters go six for that many games was an MLB record since at least 1901.

Luisangel Acuña helped the Mets squeeze into the playoffs with three homers and a .966 OPS in 14 games at the end of last year. Gregg Jefferies hit six homers in 29 games to help the playoff-bound 1988 Mets down the stretch. One year or 37 from now maybe McLean will be remembered the same way.

Juan Soto‘s 32nd homer was a two-run, opposite-field shot in the seventh that put the Mets up 9-2. Soto was 3-for-4 with four RBIs and two walks. Hayden Senger added a two-run single in the eighth.

The Braves scored five runs in the final two frames off Reed Garrett and Ryan Helsley.

Francisco Lindor went 3-for-5 with a walk, two stolen bases and two runs scored while extending his hitting streak to 10 games.

“We haven’t clicked at the same time,” the shortstop said on Apple TV+ before the game. “It’s been a little weird, a little crazy. But everyone here understands it and if we were to say, ‘What do we have to do?’ We just got to win. Just got to fight. Fight for our lives, you know. And don’t let that water come up above your neck. Keep the water below your neck as long as you can.”

Stat of the Game

Soto became the second Met to walk 100 times, joining John Olerud (1999). He leads the major leagues in walks and has led MLB in that category three times in his career.

Player of the Game

Brett Baty was 4-for-6 with a double and three runs scored. Lindor, Soto, Mullins and Taylor had three hits each. But McLean earns the honor for breaking “The Streak”. Let us never witness anything like it again.

On Deck

Clay Holmes (10-6, 3.64 ERA) faces Cal Quantrill, who the Braves picked up off waivers from the Miami Marlins on Thursday. Quantrill was 4-10 with a 5.50 ERA in 24 starts for Miami and gave up seven earned runs apiece in two of his last three outings. Holmes, by the way, is the last Met starter other than McLean or Peterson to go six. Game time is 7:15 p.m. ET and it will air on SNY.

 

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