The task for right-hander Nolan McLean in his 10th major league start will be much like the task in his first nine outings: save the New York Mets from spiraling further out of control.
McLean again will look to serve as a stopper on Friday night when he takes the mound as the Mets visit the San Francisco Giants in the second game of a four-game series between the National League clubs.
McLean (0-0, 3.60 ERA) is slated to oppose right-hander Tyler Mahle (0-1, 4.50).
The Giants cruised to a 7-2 victory Thursday night in series opener, in which six players had an RBI apiece against the Mets, who lost their third straight game.
The lopsided win for the Giants means McLean will take the mound following a Mets loss for the sixth time in his brief career. New York was 4-1 last season when McLean started immediately after a defeat.
Despite McLean’s impressive cameo, the Mets — who had the best record in baseball through June 12 — were eliminated from playoff contention on the final day of the regular season.
On Friday, the former star at Oklahoma State won’t be able to help the Mets address their biggest problem during a 3-4 start. New York, which has five new position players in its everyday lineup, has just 14 runs in six games since an 11-7 Opening Day win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 26.
The Mets were 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position Thursday. Bo Bichette’s first-inning double scored Juan Soto from first, and Mark Vientos hit a solo homer in the second. New York is batting just .107 (6-for-56) with runners in scoring position over the past six games.
“I think people are looking at everything everyday throughout the whole season,” Bichette said. “Some years you get off to a good start, some years you don’t. Just part of it.”
One player off to a great start is Giants catcher Daniel Susac, who went 3-for-3 with a walk in his second big league appearance Thursday. San Francisco won for the third time in four games since being swept by the New York Yankees in the season-opening series.
Susac, who debuted as a defensive replacement on Wednesday in a 7-1 loss to the San Diego Padres, is the first San Francisco player to reach base four times in his first start since Kevin Frandsen did so on April 28, 2006. He also won his lone ABS challenge in the sixth, turning Luis Robert Jr.’s walk into a strikeout when a ball-four call was ruled strike three.
Susac, 24, grew up in Northern California rooting for the Giants and is the younger brother of former big league catcher Andrew Susac, who played for four teams — including San Francisco — in a six-season career.
“To actually live it out was pretty awesome,” Daniel Susac said of his notable first start.
McLean didn’t factor into the decision in his season debut Sunday, when he allowed two runs over five innings as the Mets fell to the Pirates 4-3 in 10 innings.
Mahle took the loss in his season debut last Saturday after allowing two runs over four innings in the Giants’ 3-1 defeat to the Yankees.
McLean never has opposed the Giants. Mahle is 0-2 with a 4.00 ERA in two career starts against the Mets.
–Field Level Media
