CHICAGO — After David Peterson makes Tuesday’s start for the Mets, manager Carlos Mendoza will turn to his young arms to try and hold down the Cubs for the remainder of the series.
Mendoza said that Jonah Tong will start the second game of the series on Wednesday night before Nolan McLean goes on regular rest for the series finale on Thursday.
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They will be the biggest starts for both Tong and McLean in their early careers, with the Mets entering the series in a tie with the Reds for the final NL Wild Card spot.
The 22-year-old Tong has made four major league starts this season. Last time he pitched against the Padres, he allowed one unearned run on four hits across five innings while striking out eight to grab his second career win. It was an encouraging sign as Tong shook off a ⅔-inning start with six earned runs in the previous time out.
Despite only pitching in seven major league games, McLean has been arguably the Mets’ most dependable starter over the last two months. The 24-year-old righty is 4-1 with a 1.27 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 46 strikeouts in 42⅔ innings.
The Cubs are set to have a dangerous pair of lefties on the mound over the final two games of the series, with Matthew Boyd (13-8, 3.20 ERA) slated for Wednesday and Shota Imanaga (9-7, 3.37) on Thursday.
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With Tong and McLean closing out the series with the Cubs, the Mets will likely have Brandon Sproat, the combination of Sean Manaea and Clay Holmes and David Peterson for the final three games against the Marlins.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Jonah Tong, Nolan McLean to start on Wednesday. Thursday vs Cubs