Overview
- McLean surrendered a career-high seven earned runs in 3 1/3 innings in the Mets’ 7-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, marking the shortest start of his career.
- Those two straight poor starts have produced 13 earned runs across nine innings and pushed his season ERA from 2.92 to 4.40.
- Manager Carlos Mendoza said McLean is struggling to land his secondary pitches and is getting into bad counts, and McLean blamed missed off-speed pitches, falling behind in counts, and occasional hit batters.
- The Mets’ need for McLean to rebound is intensified by injuries to key arms, including reliever Clay Holmes’ fractured fibula and Kodai Senga’s ongoing recovery, which leaves the rotation and bullpen thinner than planned.
- McLean’s slump has increased fan frustration and scrutiny of coaching and roster moves, and the club must decide whether mechanical fixes, workload changes, or bullpen adjustments are the best next steps to protect the rotation.