Mets fight for life in NL playoff race our MLB standings can rookie pitchers bail them out? 2025
WASHINGTON — The New York Mets are cautious about putting the weight of their season on Nolan McLean’s shoulders.
While McLean delivered a spark in his major league debut at Citi Field on Aug. 16, helping secure a win with energy and poise, the 24-year-old is still just a year removed from giving up hitting to dedicate himself fully to pitching.
“We just want him to be himself.
There’s no need to put unnecessary pressure on him,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of McLean, who impressed with eight strikeouts over 5 ⅔ scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners. “The goal is for him to keep going out there and giving us a chance to win.”
Still, McLean’s development could become even more critical if the Mets’
veteran pitchers don’t rebound. A shaky second half has stalled their NL East championship push and placed their postseason hopes in jeopardy.
McLean’s dominant outing helped halt a brutal stretch where the Mets dropped 14 of 17 games, extending a two-month skid that has seen their starting rotation’s performance take a dramatic turn.
Despite ranking seventh in MLB with a 3.71 ERA,
New York’s starters sit just 27th in innings pitched, a troubling gap that has directly impacted the team’s consistency.The Mets’ downturn has been underscored by persistent pitching struggles.
After holding a 5 ½-game lead in the NL East on June 12, the Mets stumbled into the first of two seven-game losing streaks. The setback worsened when Griffin Canning—who had stepped up impressively with a 3.77 ERA across 16 starts—suffered a season-ending torn Achilles on June 26.
Meanwhile, Clay Holmes,
who transitioned back into a starter after six years in the bullpen, provided stability early. In his first 16 starts, he delivered a strong 2.97 ERA while averaging nearly six innings per outing, with the Mets winning 11 of those appearances.
Holmes has struggled to close out the season.”
In his last nine starts, he’s averaged under five innings per game, with the Mets losing five of those matchups those games.Over this span,his ERA ballooned to 5.02, with his strikeout-to-walk ratio falling to 1.66, highlighting a clear drop in effectiveness.
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MLB Power Rankings:
The Brewers’ incredible winning streak has them firmly in control of the NL’s top seed.
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Sean Manaea’s return hasn’t gone as planned. An oblique strain paired with loose bodies in his elbow pushed back his season debut until July 13, and since then, the Mets have dropped six of his seven starts, with him never surpassing 86 pitches.
Meanwhile,
Frankie Montas has been shifted into a long-relief role, and Kodai Senga has struggled with consistency, failing to pitch beyond five innings in eight of his 19 starts.
Although setbacks have piled up, the Mets stand at 67-58, just 5½ games back of the Phillies in the division while maintaining a fragile grip on a wild card berth—aA route that only last season carried them directly to the NL Championship Series
Whether the Mets can hold on may ultimately come down to a few young players stepping up when it matters most.
From Versatile Athlete to Full-Time Pitcher
At 6-foot-2 and 214 pounds, Nolan McLean looks every bit the part of a professional pitcher, yet his athletic background tells a much bigger story.
While most players are celebrated as two-way talents, McLean entered Oklahoma State University as a rare three-sport athlete, planning to pitch, hit, and even play quarterback for the Cowboys. However, after his freshman year, it became clear that his long-term future belonged on the baseball diamond.
As a hitter, he showcased impressive power, smashing 19 home runs as a sophomore and posting strong OPS numbers of .936, .992, and .911 across his three seasons.
On the mound, he logged only 57 innings,
but his potential was undeniable—so much so that the Baltimore Orioles drafted him in the third round as a sophomore eligible for the MLB Draft.
The New York Mets saw even more promise, selecting McLean in the second round of 2023 with the vision of developing him as a two-way player, confident that his natural progression would ultimately guide his path.
McLean’s Turning Point at Double-A
During his stint at Class AA Binghamton last summer, Nolan McLean displayed both his strengths and struggles. On the mound, he averaged nearly a strikeout per inning, but at the plate, he struck out in more than half of his at-bats (52%), highlighting the challenge of balancing both roles.
For the New York Mets, the direction ahead was obvious—and for McLean, making the decision was equally simple.
Pitching has always been a natural skill for me,”
McLean explained to USA TODAY Sports. fight “But when I was still trying to hit, I found myself getting fatigued way too early. As a starting pitcher, you need the stamina to go deep into games, and I knew that was an area I had to improve.”
The solution was obvious:
let go of hitting and focus solely on pitching. “Once I put the bat down, I finally had my legs and my whole body behind me,” he added. “ That gave me the extra strength I needed late in games and carried over into this year.”
The results spoke for themselves. His performance quickly earned him a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse, just one step away from Queens and a potential big-league breakthrough.
The Mets’ decline has been marked by consistent struggles from the pitching staff.
McLean’s Rise at Triple-A Syracuse
Nolan McLean displayed even greater dominance during his time at Triple-A SyracuseOver 16 outings, he maintained his sharp command with a 1.10 WHIP while striking out batters at an impressive rate.
Known since his youth for his exceptional ability to spin the baseball, fight McLean unleashed a curveball that reached 3,511 rpm—a spin rate higher than any curveball tracked in the majors this season.
As McLean thrived,
the New York Mets were plagued by setbacks,fight dealing with injuries and inconsistency across their pitching rotation Veteran pitcher Paul Blackburn was designated for assignment, clearing a roster spot for McLean’s long-awaited call-up.
His first appearance at Citi Field turned unforgettable as 15 friends and family journeyed from North Carolina to celebrate the milestone.
Reflecting on that night,
McLean shared, “It was really special to have them there. They’ve seen the work and sacrifice it took for me to reach this point. Getting to fight celebrate with them at such an emotional moment was incredible.
Mets Fans Embrace McLean’s Debut
For New York Mets supporters, the occasion carried almost as much emotion as it did for Nolan McLean. The fight crowd erupted in cheers each time the video board showed McLean in the dugout after his debut performance,fight a clear sign of how desperately fans have been waiting for a spark.
That excitement isn’t slowing down either. Supporters are now closely tracking the rise of Jonah Tong, who was recently promoted from Double-A to Triple-A Syracuse.
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Although calling up Tong this season might feel premature,
the Mets’ massive investment—over $420 million in payroll and projected luxury tax penalties—means the front office won’t hesitate to make bold decisions to chase a postseason berth. After all,fight this is the inaugural year of Juan Soto’s record-setting 15-year, $765 million contract, fight and expectations are sky-high.
Starters Must Step Up
Ultimately,fight the clearest path to October baseball lies with the Mets’ existing rotation regaining form. That urgency was evident when All-Star left-hander David Peterson, coming off his toughest fight outing of the year, bounced back in dominant fashion against the Washington Nationals on Aug. 19.
David Peterson Fuels Mets’ Wild Card Push
After a rough outing against Atlanta—where he surrendered six runs in just 3 ⅓ innings—David Peterson bounced back in dominant fashion, fight tossing a shutout into the eighth inning and powering the Mets to an 8-1 victory over the Nationals.
With 37 games remaining, fight New York still holds a slim lead over the Cincinnati Reds for the final NL Wild Card spot. Peterson’s stellar performance couldn’t have come at a better time, as it kicked off a grueling stretch of 16 games in 16 days.
For the Mets to survive that run, fight their starters must pitch deep into games—not only to protect a heavily taxed bullpen but also to bring much-needed stability to the season.
“The team’s ready for it. .
“ Every guy is going out there trying to give us the best chance to win and pitch as deep as possible. Everyone works their tails off,fight and I’m confident we’ll keep the momentum going.”
Mendoza Praises Peterson’s Dominant Outing in Mets’
Crucial StretchManager Carlos Mendoza couldn’t hide his smile when reflecting on what David Peterson’s eight strong innings and blowout victory meant for a team that had just endured 10 nail-biting games out of their last 15, each decided by three runs or fewer.
“He was steady,
completely in control,fight and it was great to see him bounce back after his last outing. We haven’t had a game like that in a while.”
Mendoza emphasized that performances like fight Peterson’s will be vital as the Mets enter a grueling stretch of games that could define their postseason hopes.fight “We’re going to need those guys, especially during this stretch,”fight he added.
