Fresh off gem in Toronto, McLean draws Braves in finale

ATLANTA -- Nolan McLean will return to the mound Sunday for his 18th start of the season against the Braves, carrying a 5-5 record and 3.78 ERA into that game at Truist Park. He’ll be looking to find some consistency, with a chance to post consecutive quality starts for the first time in seven weeks. Here’s what else to know about his outing:

Last start: McLean rebounded from a difficult start against the Cubs to hold the Blue Jays scoreless over six innings in Toronto. It was his first scoreless start of the season and just his second without an earned run.

Stat to know: Over his last three outings, McLean has walked batters at a rate of 2.4 per nine innings. In his three starts before that, he walked batters at a rate of 7.2 per nine.

What he said: “I’m just trying to get better every time I go out there -- find new things that work or old things that I kind of went away from that I should stick by. It always just goes back to landing off-speed. I think that’s a big key for me. Anytime I can do that, keep guys off my fastball, that’s pretty good.”

Next opponent: McLean took a no-decision the last time he faced the Braves, who forced him to throw 93 pitches over four innings of a June 12 outing in New York. McLean also beat the Braves in his second career start last August.