The Mets start their last home series of the season tonight as they welcome the Phillies to town! This weekend the Mets will be retiring Carlos Beltran’s number and host a retirement ceremony for Howie Rose. Right now the Mets need to get back in the win column and turn the page after being swept by the Orioles this week. If anyone can do it, it’s Nolan McLean!
Nolan McLean has made 29 starts this season totaling 166 2/3 innings with a 3.24 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 1.176 WHIP and a 125 ERA+. McLean is coming off of a rough start in the Bronx where he allowed five runs from 10 hits, including two home runs, over five innings. McLean had a 1.16 ERA in the five starts leading up to that one. In his one start against the Phillies this season he shut them out over six innings while striking out 10 batters. The Phillies have the following career stats against McLean:
- Luis Arráez 0-2
- Alec Bohm 3-5, K
- Justin Crawford 0-2, 2 K
- Bryce Harper 1-9, 5 K
- Brandon Marsh 0-2
- J.T. Realmuto 0-7, BB, K
- Kyle Schwarber 0-7, 2 BB, K
- Edmundo Sosa 1-2, K
- Bryson Stott 1-6, BB, K
- Trea Turner 1-6, 2B, 3 K
The Mets bats will try to get back on the right track against Aaron Nola. Nola has made 30 starts pitching 161 1/3 innings with a 4.69 ERA, 4.85 FIP, 1.370 WHIP and a 97 ERA+. He’s also leading the league for home runs allowed with 34, the second time in three seasons he’s leading the league in that stat. Aaron Nola has been a different pitcher though over the last six weeks allowing only eight runs over 36 1/3 innings while striking out 36 batters (1.98 ERA, 3.98 FIP). In two starts against the Mets this season, Nola has allowed six runs from 13 hits over 11 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:
- Francisco Alvarez 5-10, 3 HR, BB, 2 K
- Brett Baty 3-15, HR, 3 BB, 4 K
- Carson Benge 2-6, K
- Bo Bichette 4-16, 2B, HR, 4 K
- A.J. Ewing 2-6, 2B, 2 K
- Francisco Lindor 8-44, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB, 11 K
- Christopher Morel 3-8, 2B, HR, BB, 4 K
- Cristian Pache 1-8, 2B, 3 K
- Marcus Semien 1-9, 2 K
- Juan Soto 13-46, 3 2B, 5 HR, 19 BB, 11 K
- Luis Torrens 2-6
- Mark Vientos 2-8, 2 BB
- Jared Young 1-7, HR, BB, 3 K
Three Things To Watch For:
- A.J. Ewing. Ewing is back on a mini-hot streak. In his last three games he has gone 5-for-11 with a home run, a stolen base and two runs scored. He has a 3.1 bWAR and is slashing .256/.327/.383 with a 100 OPS+ over his rookie season.
- Milestones. Francisco Lindor has four more games to reach 300 home runs at home. Carson Benge is only two home runs away from a 20-20 season.
- Players with long histories. When baseball reorganized the schedules a few years ago to have every team play each other, teams lost sizeable chunk of their intra-division matchups. It used to be more common to have pitchers and hitters with deep histories against each other. We sort of have that tonight. Aaron Nola has been with the Phillies over his whole career. Juan Soto has been in the NL East for all but 1.5 seasons. Soto has 46 at-bats against Nola with 19 walks (.492 OBP).
Let’s Go Mets!
