Nolan McLean allowed seven consecutive batters to reach base in the first and second innings Monday night.
Only one run scored over that stretch.
It was a charmed life indeed for the right-hander, who watched two other rookies — Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing — combine to nail three runners at the plate in the Mets’ 2-1 victory over the Padres at Citi Field.
“That fires me up,” McLean said. “It’s saving not only the team runs, but me as well.”
McLean survived the rocky terrain to pitch six innings, allowing one earned run on six hits with four walks and three strikeouts. Jonathan Pintaro, Nate Lavender and Daniel Duarte handled the final three innings, scoreless.
Benge threw out Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado at the plate in succession to conclude the first inning. In the frame, McLean surrendered four straight singles after snagging Fernando Tatis Jr.’s line-drive comebacker.
McLean was spotted a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on Bo Bichette’s RBI single and Luis Robert Jr.’s sacrifice fly.
In the second, McLean walked Xander Bogaerts (his second walk of the inning) to load the bases with nobody out after drilling Gavin Sheets. McLean escaped, allowing one run, after fielding a comebacker, throwing home for the force and then getting Tatis to fly out for an RBI. But the big play was Ewing scooping up Cronenworth’s single and throwing out Bogaerts at the plate to conclude the inning.
McLean’s start was his 10th in his past 11 in which he pitched at least six innings. It was also his 12th start in his past 14 of allowing two earned runs or fewer. Over that stretch, he’s pitched to a 2.55 ERA.
“He was a little lucky at the outset,” interim manager Andy Green said. “But the competitor that he is, he didn’t let his first two innings dictate the next four. He was really good from that point.”
McLean pitched to soft contact early in the first inning when he surrendered four straight singles.
“Some pretty unlucky hits early from a how-hard-they-were-hit standpoint,” McLean said. “I had a hard time getting a grip on the ball early in the game. I was able to find it a little bit later, which helped me get through it.”
