ATLANTA — By the time Nolan McLean returned to the mound Friday for the fourth inning — a danger zone for Mets starting pitchers — he had plenty of latitude.
The Mets had already erupted for seven runs, the kind of gift seldom bestowed upon any starting pitcher. McLean, in his second major league start, just had to throw strikes and keep going.
The rookie remained strong and minimized base runners.
In the end, he found rare air by getting through seven innings, allowing just two runs in the team’s 12-7 victory over the Braves at Truist Park.
McLean’s performance snapped a streak that began June 7 in which no Mets starter other than David Peterson completed six innings.
Peterson had nine such performances during that stretch. Clay Holmes was the previous Mets starter other than Peterson to do it.
The Mets had no shortage of offensive heroics on this night, starting with Brett Bay, who went 4-for-6 in recording his first career four-hit game.
Francisco Lindor reached base four times, and Juan Soto hit the Mets’ only homer, a two-run blast in the seventh.
The Mets, who snapped a two-game skid, matched a season high with 21 hits.
Five members of the starting lineup had at least three hits on a night the Mets went 8-for-18 with runners in scoring position.
But much of the enthusiasm was for McLean, who surrendered two earned runs on four hits with seven strikeouts.
It followed the 5 ¹/₃ scoreless innings he delivered against the Mariners in his major league debut last Saturday.
McLean walked four in that initial outing and worked between starts to correct that sloppiness.
He did not walk a batter Friday.
Hayden Senger’s RBI single in the second gave the Mets a 1-0 lead.
It was the second straight game with an RBI for Senger, whose sacrifice fly Thursday drove in the first run of his MLB career.
Baty and Tyrone Taylor singled to begin the rally.
Soto drew a two-out walk with the bases loaded to extend the lead after Lindor walked.
Cedric Mullins smoked a two-run triple in the third that widened the lead to 4-0.
Baty’s second hit of the night, a double, put runners on second and third before Mullins delivered with two outs.
Pete Alonso’s leadoff single started the rally.
Jurickson Profar delivered an RBI single in the third for the first run allowed by McLean in his major league career.
Nacho Alvarez Jr. doubled leading off.
McLean escaped the inning with a strikeout/throw-out double play — Matt Olson whiffed and Senger nailed Profar attempting to steal second base.
The Mets knocked out lefty Joey Wentz in the fourth.
Starling Marte extended the lead to 5-1 with a sacrifice fly following consecutive singles by Lindor and Soto.
The Mets got another run on Mark Vientos’ RBI double.
Taylor slashed an RBI double that placed the Braves in a 7-1 hole.
Ronald Acuña Jr. launched a full-count sweeper for a homer leading off the fourth that gave the Braves their second run.
McLean recovered to retire the next three batters in the inning.
Soto’s two-run homer in the seventh brought the Mets’ lead to 9-2.
The blast was Soto’s 32nd this season.
It came after Lindor doubled to reach base for the fourth time in the game.
Senger piled on with a two-run single in the eighth.
Soto’s RBI later in the inning gave the Mets a 12-2 lead.
Between raindrops, Reed Garrett surrendered two runs on three hits in the eighth.
Ryan Helsley allowed three runs on three hits and a walk in the ninth.
