The Mets, who just a few weeks ago looked like they were fighting for their very lives just to stay afloat, finished off a sweep of their rival Philadelphia Phillies with a dominating 6-0 win Wednesday night. The win was the Mets 10th straight against the Phillies at home, and 24th in their last 30 in Flushing against them. The division deficit fell to just four games behind the aforementioned Phillies, firmly making it a possibility for the Mets.
The story of the game is all about Nolan McLean. I don’t even need to talk about the offense (I will for the sake of completionism), because, frankly, no one cares about that right now. McLean, making his third start of his career, was absolutely excellent on the day. He went eight innings, all scoreless, surrendering just four hits, and striking out six. He walked none.
He also barely got into trouble, outside of the eighth inning. Through the first six innings he faced the minimum, with the one base runner he allowed — a second inning Alec Bohm single — being erased by a double play. He allowed a hit in the seventh as well, but worked around it with ease.
He was given the eighth, and he was rewarded with immediate trouble. Bohm, who saw him well sans parabolic microphones, led off the frame with a hit, and Max Kepler moved him to third with a single of his own. McLean buckled down, however, getting Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott to fly out to Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo respectively, and good throws home by both kept Bohm from tagging up and scoring. He ended up getting Old Friend and lowkey 2025 Mets Killer Harrison Bader to ground out to put an end to an absolutely stunning performance.
Now, the offense. While no one is here for this, the offense was also great today, and, perhaps more importantly, looks like its finally breaking out of the malaise it was stuck in for weeks and weeks. The Mets were not fooled by another Old Friend in Taijuan Walker, especially from the third inning on. Brett Baty led off the frame with a double, Hayden Senger tried to bunt him over, and bunted one so badly it ended up being good. It came off the bat hard, past a outstretched Walker, to steal a phrase from Gary Cohen, and landed in no man’s land in front of Trea Turner. He was rewarded with a single for his trouble. Back to back to back singles by Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso made it 3-0. A Nimmo strikeout and Mark Vientos double play ended the inning early, but the damage was done.
The Mets got back on the board in the fifth, though Harrison Bader made it much more difficult than it could have been. Lindor led off the frame with a well struck ball off the bullpen fence, but Bader played the carom perfectly and threw Lindor out at second base. It was truly an excellent play from the former Met, who was a thorn in their side all week. A Soto fly out looked to put the inning to bed, but a two out walk by Pete Alonso woke up the inning past its scheduled bed time. A Nimmo single put him in scoring position, and a Vientos single made it 4-0. That 4-0 lead held into the seventh, when Mark Vientos hit a two run, 108 mph cherry on top to center field to make it 6-0, the eventual final score.
Brooks Raley got the ninth and pitched around a single, putting the series in the books.
According to the broadcast, Nolan McLean is the first Met in franchise history to win his first three starts, which is impressive and mind blowing considering the franchise has always been a pitching-first unit.
Big Mets winner: Nolan McLean, +29.6% WPA
Big Mets loser: No one!
Mets pitchers: 29.8%% WPA
Mets hitters: 20.2% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Fransisco Lindor’s RBI single in the third, +9.2% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Alec Bohm’s second inning single, -2.6% WPA