Bullpen, Offense Betray McLean In 7-1 Loss

The Mets wasted a gem of a start from Nolan McLean, losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-1 on Thursday.

McLean was dominant in his 6 1/3 innings of work. The righty allowed just two runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out eight and allowing very little hard contact. But in a move that was immediately second-guessed by many Mets fans, McLean was pulled by Carlos Mendoza in the seventh after putting runners on first and second with one out.

That’s when the floodgates opened for the Arizona offense. Luke Weaver let both of McLean’s runners score, putting the Diamondbacks on top, and allowed two more runs in the inning. He was replaced by Luis García in the eighth, who gave up three runs of his own in just one-third of an inning.

The Mets’ offense didn’t do McLean any favors either, scoring just one run on a Luis Robert Jr. homer in the first inning. They had just five hits and two walks against Diamondbacks starter Eduardo Rodríguez and two relievers.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

McLean was filthy despite being the hard-luck loser. He now has a 2.70 ERA and 0.84 WHIP after three starts.

“He was really good today,” said Mendoza of McLean after the game. “He had everything working, especially the sinker.”

UP NEXT

The Mets begin a weekend home series against the A’s on Friday before flying to LA to play the Dodgers. Clay Holmes (2–0, 1.42 ERA), coming off seven shutout innings against the Giants, faces off against former Mets draft pick J.T. Ginn (0–0, 5.14 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM ET on WPIX. 

The post Bullpen, Offense Betray McLean In 7-1 Loss appeared first on Metsmerized Online.