Despite scuffling through the past few weeks of play, the New York Mets have remained in the hunt for the final National League Wild Card spot. Their 8-5 win against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night came with a gritty showing from rookie starter Nolan McLean, and teammate Tyrone Taylor provided an honest assessment of what the young ace was able to bring to the mound.
“That dude is throwing frisbees up there… he's nasty,” Taylor told Jon Morosi after the victory.
It was not a completely ideal night for McLean. While the 24-year-old struck out a career high 11 batters, he also surrendered five runs and three home runs across five innings of work. Even still, McLean chose to remain focused on the win instead of his own individual stat line.
“I want to win every game,” McLean told SNY. “That's just how I was raised and how I compete. Every time I go out there, I'm trying to win and compete. I just like winning.”
With the Mets’ starting rotation facing questions amidst injuries and underwhelming results, it is possible that McLean could be a Postseason option. When asked about his confidence in the Willow Spring native’s ability to pitch in major games, New York manager Carlos Mendoza did not hesitate to show his support.
“You feel good about your chances every time he takes the baseball,” Mendoza said. “Today was the perfect scenario, a couple of guys on and he's up to 91-92 pitches and you still feel really good about him getting out of that situation…
“And I'm going to continue to say, the way he makes adjustments, recognizing what's working for him. Today was the cutter and he kept going after, using that pitch. There's a lot to like, and he's got so many weapons as well.”
The Mets are 82-77 and currently hold a one-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds for the final NL Wild Card. They will finish the regular season with a three-game road set against the Miami Marlins this weekend.
