"Such a joke" - Mets fans urge top prospect Nolan McLean's promotion from Triple-A after bullpen struggles in Orioles series loss

The New York Mets lost for the second consecutive time against a struggling Baltimore Orioles after a 7-3 loss in the series finale on Thursday night. Mets fans were left fuming after the team failed to hold on to capitalize on their lead in back-to-back games.

The Mets led Wednesday's game 1-0 after the top of the eighth inning. However, the bullpen failed to hold onto the lead as the Orioles conceded three runs in the bottom of the eighth, ending up losing the game 3-1.

In the series decider on Thursday, the Mets had a 2-0 lead after the first inning. However, the Orioles came back, scoring three runs in the second and two each in the fifth and sixth to win 7-3 as the Mets' pitching staff capitulated again.

Fans urged the front office to promote top pitching prospect Nolan McLean from Triple-A Syracuse.

"I really think it’s time to call up Nolan McLean," wrote a fan.

“'There’s no place for Nolan McLean right now.' As we sit here and watch Justin Hagenman, Chris Devenski, Brandon Waddell, Blade Tidwell and Frankie Montas start Major League Baseball games. Such a joke," vented a fan.

"More like Nolan Sproat. The hell are they waiting for? Get these kids experience lessons to lessen the load on the bullpen and OLD rotation arms. Is Stearns being stubborn, arrogant? What?" Wrote another fan.

However, some fans argued it was too early to promote the 23-year-old pitcher.

"No, it’s not. You don’t force a kid cause of desperation," wrote a fan.

"Stearns knows when to call them up. Be patient. You don't wanna shatter their confidence just get. Let them cook. When the time is right they'll get the call," wrote another fan.

Nolan McLean continues strong performances as Mets rotation struggled tho hold Orioles

The Mets rotation has struggled for consistency over the last few weeks, leaking runs in crucial moments. The pitching staff's recent struggles with injuries haven't helped the Mets' cause either.

Meanwhile, Nolan McLean has been exceptional in Triple-A. The right-handed pitcher has 10+ strikeouts in his last two starts, with his latest being six scoreless innings against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Wednesday.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash