Mets sweep Phillies behind rookie Nolan McLean

The Phillies just got embarrassed in Queens. Again. Nolan McLean, a 24-year-old rookie making just his third big-league start, shut them down for eight innings as the Mets finished off a three-game sweep with a 6-0 win Wednesday night.

McLean is now 3-0 with a 0.89 ERA in his first three starts, the first Mets pitcher ever to pull that off. He gave up just four hits, didn’t walk anyone, and made the Phillies’ lineup look completely lifeless. At one point, he retired 15 straight. When Bryce Harper finally broke it up with a single in the seventh, Citi Field treated it like a no-hitter alert.

Meanwhile, the Phillies’ bats did absolutely nothing. Taijuan Walker got lit up by his former team for 10 hits and four runs in five innings, and the Mets never looked back.

Mets’ Dominance

• Mark Vientos did the heavy lifting with three RBIs, including a two-run homer.
• Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso all chipped in RBI singles.
• Brandon Nimmo had three of the Mets’ 12 hits.

The Mets batted an absurd .568 (21-for-37) with runners in scoring position during the series. Twenty-one hits with runners on.

The Phillies? Nowhere close.

New York has now beaten the Phillies 10 straight times at Citi Field and has taken 24 of the last 30 there, counting last year’s playoffs. They also clinched the season series and the postseason tiebreaker.

The Pain Ahead

The Phillies’ lead in the NL East is down to four games, and McLean looks like the Mets’ new golden boy. The Phils, on the other hand, have to pick themselves up quickly: Aaron Nola (2-7, 6.52 ERA) takes the ball Thursday against Atlanta.

Bottom Line

The Phillies rolled into Queens with a chance to bury the Mets. Instead, they got steamrolled by a rookie, scored a total of five runs in three games, and watched their division lead shrink.

The Mets are in Philly’s head and if we don’t wake up soon, we’re going to regret letting New York back into this race.

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