The Mets have a chance to sweep the Guardians! The Guardians were buyers at the deadline. Thanks to the Mets, they are now a game below .500, but are still in second in the AL Central. The Mets are still firmly in the basement of the NL East, but the vibes are, okay? Wednesday’s comeback was the most Mets comeback that you could draw up. The Mets tied the game in the ninth inning when Ewing reached on an error. They had an opportunity to extend the lead in the ninth but Lindor struck out with the bases loaded. Bo Bichette drove in the go-ahead run in the 10th, but was thrown out at second trying to extend the hit into a double. The Mets were able to work out of trouble in the 10th and get the win. Go for the sweep today!
Nolan McLean has made 22 starts this season totaling 125 2/3 innings with a 3.29 ERA, 3.47 FIP, 1.122 WHIP and a 126 ERA+. In his last six starts he has allowed only six earned runs over 36 1/3 innings (1.49 ERA, 2.93 FIP) while racking up 42 K’s. He has been a victim to the Mets defense and has allowed five unearned runs during this stretch as well. McLean has also only hit two batters during this stretch. He’s currently leading the league hitting 13 batters, doing it 10 times in a nine game stretch before this current stretch of six starts. A few members of the Guardians have faced Nolan McLean as members of other teams:
- Jo Adell 2-2
- Patrick Bailey 0-1, BB
- Nathaniel Lowe 2-4, 2 2B, BB, K
Foster Griffin makes his first start since being traded to the Guardians at the deadline. Griffin pitched in Japan from 2023 to 2025 and has had an All-Star year with the Nationals this season. Over 22 starts he has pitched 129 1/3 innings with a 3.06 ERA, 4.09 FIP, 1.075 WHIP and a 139 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed nine runs over 12 innings. Before that he had a 1.25 ERA, 2.72 FIP over eight consecutive starts (50 1/3 innings). One of his few poor starts this year came against the Mets where he allowed five runs from eight hits over five innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:
- Brett Baty 0-2, K
- Carson Benge 2-3
- Bo Bichette 2-3, 2 HR
- Jorge Polanco 0-0, RBI
- Marcus Semien 1-2, K
- Luis Torrens 0-2, K
Three Things To Watch For:
- Jorge Polanco. Andy Green told the press that Jorge Polanco took 300 swings on the field before Wednesday night’s game. He had a home run in first at bat in the game and ended the night going 2-for-4 with a double and a home run. This snapped an 0-for-26 stretch over eight games for Polanco. The Mets would love to get Polanco going for the rest of the season, hopefully this was the start of Polanco returning to his career stat line.
- Carson Benge. Benge homered in a second consecutive game Wednesday night. He now has 13 homers on the season with a 102 OPS+. Benge had a 20 game stretch without hitting a home run before homering on Tuesday night, but he still hit well in that stretch despite the lack of power (.707 OPS).
- Devin Williams. The Mets turned to Daniel Duarte to close out the game last night, avoiding Devin Williams. After the game Andy Green said that Devin Williams was dealing with arm fatigue, but expect him to be ready to go this afternoon. Before his last outing, Williams had a five game stretch where he allowed no runs, scattering three hits and a walk while striking out seven batters. Over the weekend he allowed one run on two hits against the Marlins.
Let’s Go Mets!
