The Mets took the first game of the series on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, the Astro who have only won three of their last ten, won last night too, and now there’s a tie for AL West crown. Both the Rangers and Astros are below .500. Standing in the Rangers way is the Mets and rookie of the year contender, Nolan McLean.
Nolan McLean has had a wonderful 2026. In 30 starts he has pitched 172 2/3 innings with a 3.18 ERA, 3.65 FIP, 1.193 WHIP and a 129 ERA+. He had a good bounce back start his last time out holding the Phillies to one run over six innings. McLean actually faced the Rangers last September and he shut them out over six innings while striking out seven. The Rangers have the following career stats against him:
- Cody Freeman 1-2, 2B
- Josh Jung 0-3, K
- Wyatt Langford 0-3, 2 K
- Alejandro Osuna 1-2, K
Cody Bradford has pitched in eight games making seven starts for the Rangers this season totaling 38 2/3 innings. He has a 4.19 ERA, 4.26 FIP, 1.500 WHIP and a 93 ERA+. Bradford is coming off of a good relief outing where he came in and pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings following and opener against the Red Sox. In his two starts before that he allowed eight runs over eight innings from 11 hits (including three home runs). Only a few Mets have seen him in a major league game:
- Bo Bichette 1-1, 2B
- Christopher Morel 1-2
- Juan Soto 0-4, BB, K
Three Things To Watch For:
- Seizing Opportunities. The Mets scored six runs on Tuesday with Francisco Alvarez and Carson Benge doing some of the heavy work hitting four doubles and recording three RBI’s between them. The Mets still combined to go 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left 10 batters on.
- Free Swinging Rangers. The Mets got the Rangers to strike out 15 times Tuesday night, generating 11 strikeouts from the first four batters in the lineup. The Rangers hitters do have the 10th most strikeouts in the league, but it feels unusual to have that many strikeouts clustered at the top.
- Milestones. Nolan McLean has struck out 10 batters in a start twice this season. If he sets a season high with 11 strikeouts in tonight’s game, he will end the season with 200 strikeouts. We are still waiting on the other milestones. Francisco Lindor is sitting at 299 home runs. Carson Benge is one home run away from a 20-20 rookie season.
Let’s Go Mets!
