Rookie Nolan McLean allowed four hits in eight dynamic innings as the host New York Mets inched closer in the NL East with a 6-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night.
The Mets won for the eighth time in 11 games, a stretch that started with McLean’s debut in a 3-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Aug. 16. New York pulled within four games of the Phillies for the division lead.
Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso hit RBI singles in a three-run third when the Mets opened the inning with five straight hits off Philadelphia’s Taijuan Walker (4-7). Mark Vientos added an RBI single in the fifth and a two-run homer in the seventh as the Mets finished with 12 hits and went 5-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
New York went 21-for-37 (.568) with runners in scoring position in the series and won its 10th straight home game over the Phillies, including two games in last season’s NL Division Series.
McLean (3-0) allowed a clean single to Alec Bohm with one out in the second on a ball that skipped over second baseman Brett Baty. Bohm was erased on a double play by Max Kepler, starting a stretch of 15 straight hitters retired.
McLean allowed his second hit when Bryce Harper singled in the seventh. McLean retired J.T. Realmuto to end the inning and started the eighth at 76 pitches. He opened the eighth by allowing singles to Bohm and Kepler, prompting a mound visit from pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.
Following the mound visit, Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott hit flyballs but Soto made a strong throw from right field and Brandon Nimmo made a stellar throw from left field to prevent runs.
McLean struck out six, walked none and threw 71 of 95 pitches for strikes. He joined David Peterson (Aug. 19, June 11) as the only Met to complete eight innings this season.
McLean is also the first pitcher in Mets history earn the win in each of his first three career starts.
Walker allowed four runs and a season-worst 10 hits in five innings.
The Phillies were outscored 25-8 in the series and lost for the fourth time in six games.
