The New York Mets rode a dominant outing from Nolan McLean to a 3-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre, evening the three-game series. The win improved New York to 36-50, while Toronto fell to 40-46.
McLean bounced back in impressive fashion after a rough outing against the Chicago Cubs, holding the Blue Jays scoreless over six innings. The rookie scattered five hits, walked two and struck out seven while repeatedly pitching out of trouble in the second, fourth and sixth innings. His strong performance lowered his ERA to 3.78 and gave the Mets exactly the lift they needed.
The Mets finally broke through in the fifth after Kevin Gausman had kept them quiet through four innings. Francisco Alvarez launched a leadoff solo home run to snap the scoreless tie, giving New York its first lead of the series. Luis Torrens added another solo shot in the seventh, as the Mets’ catchers accounted for the game’s first two runs. Brett Baty later added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly in the ninth.
Despite scoring three runs, New York’s struggles with runners in scoring position continued. The Mets finished 0-for-7 in those situations and are 0-for-16 with runners in scoring position through the first two games of the series.
The bullpen preserved the shutout the rest of the way. Brooks Raley tossed a scoreless seventh before Luke Weaver extended his scoreless streak to 24 consecutive innings with a perfect eighth. Devin Williams closed the door in the ninth for his 12th save of the season.
The Mets wrap up their three-game series against the Blue Jays on Wednesday at 3:07 p.m. Freddy Peralta (5-6, 4.53 ERA) is scheduled to face Patrick Corbin (2-4, 5.09 ERA).
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.