Nolan McLean gave the Mets exactly the kind of outing a team wants in a tight game - and it still wasn’t enough. Atlanta blanked New York 4-0 on Wednesday night, turning a low-scoring game two of the three-game set into a frustrating shutout for the Mets.
McLean and Martín Pérez matched up in a straight-up pitcher’s duel, even if neither was overpowering. The Mets put runners on in each of the first four innings, but Pérez kept finding a way out of trouble before anything could break open.
The game stayed scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when Ozzie Albies opened the inning with a solo homer. It was the only hit McLean allowed across six sharp innings. He finished with one run allowed, two walks, three strikeouts, and 85 pitches over six frames.
New York’s best chance came in the sixth. Bo Bichette drew a walk and Luis Robert Jr. followed with a single, putting two aboard with one out. But Carson Benge grounded into a double play, and the inning ended with nothing to show for it.
Atlanta added on in the seventh against Jefry Yan. Two walks, a wild pitch, a groundout, and a sacrifice fly brought home the second run.
After Yan issued his third walk of the inning, Chayce McDermott took over. His first pitch was another wild pitch, moving the runners to second and third, before Austin Riley sent a deep fly ball to Robert Jr. at the wall to end the frame.
The Mets were shut down again in the eighth, and McDermott returned for another inning. With two outs and one on, he hung a breaking ball and Matt Olson crushed it for a two-run shot that pushed Atlanta’s lead to 4-0.
Raisel Iglesias finished things off with a perfect ninth, and the Mets were left with their MLB-leading 13th shutout loss. Tyler Mahle is set to face Zac Thornton in the rubber game Thursday evening.
Big winner: Nolan McLean, +17.0% WPA
Big loser: Carson Benge, -13.0% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +5.0% WPA
Total batter WPA: -55.0% WPA
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