McLean grinds out of bases-loaded jam during 42-pitch inning

NEW YORK -- For a starting pitcher, few nightmares are quite as haunting as a 42-pitch inning.

For the better part of a half hour on Friday at Citi Field, Nolan McLean battled both his control and a patient Braves lineup, throwing 42 pitches in the second inning alone. It was by far the most McLean has racked up in a single inning, surpassing the 35 pitches he threw in the fourth inning of a May 2 no-decision in Anaheim.

The marathon top of the second also robbed McLean of a potential victory in what became a 7-5 win over the Braves. Because he threw so much that inning, his overall pitch count rose to 93 by the end of the fourth. That’s when manager Carlos Mendoza removed him despite a five-run lead.

“It was a lot,” McLean said of the career-high effort.

The rookie's second inning began as so many bad ones do, with a leadoff walk. A Jared Young error allowed Ozzie Albies to move to second base, where Dominic Smith plated him with an RBI single. Another walk followed, then a Mike Yastrzemski RBI single, then yet another walk to load the bases. That’s when McLean buckled down, ripping off a strikeout, a pop-up and another strikeout to strand three Braves.

All told, McLean allowed two runs in the second inning on two hits and three walks, missing arm-side with his pitches on a consistent basis.

“You don’t ever really prepare to go and throw 40 pitches in an inning, 50 pitches in an inning,” McLean said. “But once you get that tired out there, you’re trying to piece it together and get those outs, get back in the dugout and try and recover. I was pretty tired, but was able to work out of it with minimal damage, which I was happy about.”

Because the rookie right-hander has struggled with his control all season, walking 31 batters over 76 1/3 innings, he’s no stranger to lengthy stretches on the mound. But a 42-pitch affair is about as high as it gets. Typically, managers begin thinking about replacing pitchers once they reach the 30-pitch mark within a single inning.

To that end, Mendoza had a reliever warming midway through the second, with plans to remove McLean had Austin Wynns reached base. Instead, McLean said he managed “to rely on some competitiveness” to retire three straight Braves, which allowed him to stay in the game. The Mets’ four-run, seven-batter bottom of the second also helped, offering McLean some much-needed rest. He ultimately pitched two more innings before giving way to the bullpen.

“After 42 pitches, you’re getting in that tricky spot where you’re uncomfortable,” Mendoza said. “But he competed. He went back out there, and he was able to give us two more.”