Nolan McLean's Dominance of Dodgers is Encouraging for Mets

While the New York Mets' offense continued to struggle on Tuesday night, Nolan McLean delivered an outstanding performance against a strong Dodgers' lineup.

Apr 14, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean (26) throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The New York Mets may be struggling offensively right now but their pitching has largely lived up to the hype. Perhaps the only positive to come out of Tuesday night's loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers was how brilliantly Nolan McLean pitched against a very tough lineup.

Nolan McLean's Sweeper movement confused Ohtani. pic.twitter.com/qVWS53viPX

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 15, 2026

Tuesday's contest featured a must-see matchup on the mound between McLean and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the reigning World Series MVP and a Cy Young front runner. McLean was more than up to the challenge, slicing up the Dodgers for only one run over seven brilliant innings of work.

Nastiness from Nolan McLean 🤢 pic.twitter.com/IaRpDcIeA1

— MLB (@MLB) April 15, 2026

The Dodgers scratched a run across against McLean in the bottom of the first inning but couldn't plate another against him after that. McLean allowed only two hits on the night and walked two while striking out eight as he had his full arsenal of pitches working to keep the Dodgers off balance.

Nolan McLean's 7th and 8th Ks. pic.twitter.com/nGKaemraEr

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 15, 2026

The Mets' offensive struggles meant McLean left the game with a no-decision instead of a win, a phenomenon that Jacob deGrom experienced for years in New York. The only reason the Mets were in the game against Yamamoto, who retired 20 batters in a row after giving up a leadoff homer to Francisco Lindor, was because McLean flummoxed one of the best lineups in the game.

Nolan McLean Has A Chance To Be Elite For The Mets

It was fair to wonder entering the season if McLean's performance at the end of the 2025 season was a bit flukish due to a small sample size. Pitchers can get off to fast starts but struggle as the league adjusts to them, and those concerns appeared valid after McLean had a pair of shaky starts for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

The start of the regular season has shown those concerns are overstated as McLean is 1-1 with a 2.28 ERA and 0.76 WHIP in his first four starts. Opponents are batting just .125 against McLean, who has compiled an outstanding 28:8 strikeout to walk ratio in 23.2 innings pitched.

The addition of Freddy Peralta was supposed to provide the Mets with an ace but it appears McLean could usurp that title by the end of the season. McLean's starts have become must-see events for the Mets like deGrom's were, making him an instant fan favorite.

The dominance McLean displayed against the Dodgers was terrifying for the rest of the league. Even though the Dodgers are missing Mookie Betts their lineup is incredibly strong, with reigning MVP Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Will Smith, Teoscar Hernandez and Freddie Freeman looking lost against McLean for most of the night.

The Mets have to hope that their offense wakes up soon so they stop wasting the gems that McLean has provided. They are just 1-3 in games McLean has started this season and easily could have won all four with a bit more offensive support.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.