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Try it freeDETROIT — Nolan McLean was sloppy for two innings Tuesday night before resuming as the rookie force that has moved him atop this beleaguered Mets rotation.
Early walks and contact threatened the right-hander, then the Tigers’ fun ended. McLean got rolling, and a fourth straight win to begin his major league career awaited, with booming bats supporting him.
With McLean in charge, the Mets beat the Tigers 12-5 at Comerica Park to win their second straight against the team that began play Tuesday with the American League’s best record.
Pete Alonso homered twice and Luis Torrens and Juan Soto also went deep to lead the offensive attack, but the needed brilliance for the Mets was in the starting pitching, with McLean concluding his night by retiring 14 straight batters.
Overall, he allowed two earned runs over six innings on three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts, leaving the field with a 1.37 ERA. McLean’s performance snapped a streak of three straight starts — by David Peterson, Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea — in which a Mets starting pitcher failed to complete five innings.
Alonso blasted a two-out homer in the first inning to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Sawyer Gipson-Long fell behind in the count to Alonso, who swung at a 3-0 fastball and cleared the center field fence.
McLean walked consecutive batters, Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene, with two outs in the first inning and watched both of them score. Spencer Torkelson and Wenceel Pérez each delivered an RBI single, with Pérez getting thrown out at second base trying to advance after an unsuccessful play at the plate.
Zach McKinstry walked to begin the second and was thrown out attempting to steal second. McLean followed by allowing a single to Dillon Dingler — the final base runner against him.
The Mets reclaimed the lead during a fourth inning in which they sent nine batters to the plate and scored four runs.
Jeff McNeil stroked an RBI single with the bases loaded and Cedric Mullins’ sacrifice fly accounted for the other run. Torrens then delivered the biggest jolt, a three-run homer off the foul pole in right that extended the lead to 6-2.
Soto had started the rally with a leadoff walk and steal of second before Brandon Nimmo singled with one out and Mark Vientos walked to load the bases.
Soto and Alonso hit back-to-back homers to begin the seventh, but the Mets were just getting started in the inning.
After Nimmo singled and Vientos doubled him to third, McNeil stroked a two-run single that widened the gulf to 10-2. Brett Baty added an RBI single later in the inning and Francisco Lindor’s sacrifice fly buried the Tigers in a 12-2 hole.