WASHINGTON -- Eighteen starts into Nolan McLean’s career, he finally submitted a clunker.
To be fair, the damage on Tuesday was not entirely McLean’s fault. The Mets committed multiple errors behind him, failed to make other defensive plays that could have softened the result and asked him to continue deep into the middle innings because they were operating with a critically short bullpen.
But results are results. Over five innings at Nationals Park, McLean permitted nine batted balls with at least 97 mph exit velocity, walked two batters, hit two others and allowed the highest number of runs (nine) and earned runs (six) of any start in his career during the Mets’ 9-6 loss to Washington.
The outing ballooned McLean’s ERA from 2.92 to 3.57.
Things fell apart rapidly in the second inning, after McLean retired five of the first six batters of the game. A double, a hit batsman and an infield single loaded the bases for James Wood, who rocketed a 101.3 mph flyball to left field. In one of the first defensive chances of his Major League debut, New York's No. 11 prospect Nick Morabito made a leaping effort to catch it, but the ball glanced off his glove and fell to the turf. Rather than retrieve it immediately, center fielder Tyrone Taylor briefly checked on Morabito, giving Wood enough time to race around the bases for an inside-the-park grand slam.
More damage came in the form of a José Tena leadoff homer in the third inning and a multirun, multi-error rally in the fourth, before McLean finally settled down to strike out four of the final seven batters he faced.
Before Tuesday, McLean had never allowed more than five runs in a game.
Under different circumstances, manager Carlos Mendoza may not have left McLean in the game as long as he did. But the Mets declined to swap any of their relievers off the roster following a 12-inning win over the Nationals on Monday, which required the use of seven pitchers. That left them with a bullpen incapable of providing significant length behind McLean.
“We felt like we were in a decent spot,” Mendoza said before the game. “We got the right guy starting for us today. And we felt like we didn’t [need to] make a move.”