Mets' lack of offense sinks Nolan McLean's effort in loss to Phillies
The Mets' Nolan McLean pitches during the first inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday in Philadelphia. Credit: AP/Matt Slocum
PHILADELPHIA — When Carlos Mendoza was asked over the weekend about having three pitching prospects come up and immediately excel, he acknowledged that it was pretty special but mused that the Mets need “the other guys to step up.”
He was talking about the veteran arms in his rotation, but in the last few games — Monday’s 1-0 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in particular — it’s become clear that the offense needs to be added to the list.
The Mets put runners on second and third with one out in the ninth against closer Jhoan Duran, but Jeff McNeil — who came a few inches away from an extra-base hit down the line — struck out swinging and Francisco Alvarez swung through three straight curveballs to strand the runners and negate a gutsy start by Nolan McLean.
“You could tell [Alvarez] was selling out for the fastball and he never got one,” Mendoza said. “We’ve been pretty inconsistent and we put ourselves in this position. We’re still right there [in the wild-card race], obviously. The goal is to win the division, but we’re eight back now [behind the Phillies], but we’ve got to keep going. We’ve got to turn the page.”
The Mets (76-68) — who have gone 31-44 since June 13 — are three games ahead of the Giants and four games ahead of the Reds for the National League’s third wild card.
It doesn’t help that a team that made a habit of late-game theatrics last season hasn’t shown that spunk this year. They’re 0-60 when trailing after eight innings.
McLean (4-1) allowed one run and seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts against a potent lineup that was playing without the injured Trea Turner and Alec Bohm. He was dealt his first major-league loss but has a 1.42 ERA in his five starts. Only one Mets pitcher posted a lower ERA through his first five starts — Terry Leach from 1981-85.
Seeing the rookie for the second time, the Phillies were hunting for his sweeper and put together aggressive at-bats, “and once I noticed . . . I was able to make that adjustment and mix a few more pitches in there,” said McLean, who had the nail on his right middle finger rip off in the second or third inning.
His effort was for naught against Aaron Nola, who had a 9.96 ERA in his previous six starts. He held the Mets to no runs and three hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.
The Mets also wasted a gutsy major-league debut from Brandon Sproat on Sunday, scoring only a single run for him before tacking on another in the ninth in a 3-2 loss to the Reds.
“[Nola] was attacking the zone pretty good,” said Cedric Mullins, who went 0-for-2 and is hitless in his last 10 games. “He was getting ahead in the count and we weren’t able to capitalize on certain things, so it’s a tough loss.”
McLean labored but limited the damage and found his way out of all but one jam.
The Phillies got their run in the second. Max Kepler singled and Harrison Bader singled him to third but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Nick Castellanos then hit a sharp liner past a diving Pete Alonso for the only run of the game.
McLean got into trouble again in the fifth, putting two on with one out by walking Otto Kemp and Kyle Schwarber. J.T. Realmuto hit a high chopper for the forceout at second and McLean froze Kepler on a 2-and-2 front-door sinker.
“What we’re seeing here — this kid is special,” Mendoza said before the game. “He’s got a chance to be special. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him, just continue to take it one outing at a time. He knows where we’re at. They all know where we’re at and it’s just fun to watch him pitch.”
It probably would be a little bit more fun if he could watch his lineup hit, too.
Notes & quotes: Catcher Luis Torrens was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right forearm contusion, an injury suffered when he blocked a ball Saturday. Hayden Senger was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse. Torrens played through a similar injury early in the season, but the Mets opted to be cautious because Francisco Alvarez is playing with a torn UCL in his right thumb and a broken left pinkie. “Given where we’re at with Alvy and who knows what’s going to happen with him, it’s hard to go into a game with just one catcher,” Mendoza said . . . Tylor Megill (elbow sprain), who was lit up for two innings in his rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday, complained of arm tightness when throwing his secondary pitches. Megill had an MRI on Monday and it’s possible his season is over.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
