McLean looks to keep rolling on the mound in bout with Cubs

NEW YORK -- Nolan McLean will return to the mound for his 16th start of the season in the first game of the Mets' doubleheader against the Cubs on Wednesday, carrying a 4-4 record and a 3.67 ERA. He’ll be looking to build off the momentum of arguably his finest outing of the season.

Here’s what else to know about his start:

Last start: For the first time in well over a month, McLean looked dominant from start to finish in Cincinnati, striking out nine batters and walking just one over seven innings of a 9-1 win. The only run he allowed was unearned. McLean has clearly steadied himself after a rough stretch in May, going 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA over his past four outings.

Stat to know: McLean averaged 14.4 pitches per inning against the Reds, his third-lowest total of the season and his lowest in more than a month.

What he said: “Every time I go out there, I’m trying to win a baseball game. I think if everybody’s trying to do that and we’re all pulling the same rope, good things will happen.”

Next opponent: The only objectively bad outing of McLean’s stretch run last season came against the Cubs, who roughed him up for five runs over 5 1/3 innings despite 11 strikeouts. Much of the damage came courtesy of Seiya Suzuki, who hit two homers off McLean.