Nolan McLean Navigates Tough Second Inning in Mets’ Win Over Braves

In a thrilling matchup on Friday night, the Mets edged past the Braves with a 7-5 victory, but not without facing a tense moment in the second inning. As Mets manager Carlos Mendoza aptly described, that inning turned “risky” for Nolan McLean, the young right-hander who found himself in a challenging situation.

After the Mets jumped to a 2-0 lead thanks to back-to-back home runs from Bo Bichette and Juan Soto, McLean struggled to find his rhythm. He permitted two runs on three walks and two hits while throwing an exhausting 42 pitches in that inning alone. Mendoza noted how close he was to pulling McLean, stating, “After 42 pitches, you’re getting in that tricky spot where you’re uncomfortable.” A lengthy offensive break helped McLean regain composure, but Mendoza admitted that a quick three outs could have changed the decision to keep him in the game.

Reflecting on the taxing inning, McLean expressed the challenges of managing fatigue on the mound. “You don’t ever really prepare to go throw 40 pitches in an inning,” he said. “Once you get that tired out there, you’re trying to piece it together and get those outs.” Despite the struggle, McLean felt satisfied with minimizing the damage, allowing only two runs.

Control issues plagued McLean throughout the game. He acknowledged that he struggled to locate his offspeed pitches, often crediting the Braves hitters for fouling off good offerings. Mendoza echoed these concerns, pointing out that McLean was missing significantly to the arm side and found himself behind hitters too often.

However, McLean managed to settle down after that rocky second inning. With a 6-2 lead, he allowed just two more baserunners before exiting after the fourth. “He competed, he went back out there and was able to give us two more,” Mendoza remarked on McLean’s resilience.

By the end of the night, McLean had thrown 93 pitches, with 55 strikes, yielding two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out six. Despite his efforts, the 24-year-old was visibly disappointed when Mendoza informed him that he was done for the night. “I gotta do a better job of, later in the count when they are fouling it off, just keep challenging them,” he acknowledged, recognizing the need for improvement.

The Mets, now 4.5 games back of the final wild card spot, are eager to continue their ascent toward .500. McLean encapsulated the team’s mindset perfectly: “We’ll take ugly victories over clean losses. So anyway we can get in the win column as many times as we can, that’s what we’re trying to do.” The Mets will look to build on this momentum as they face the Braves again on Saturday.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.