Nolan McLean has been terrific for the Mets in 2026. AP The Mets are in a tough way.
Losers of six on the spin, the Amazin’s are desperate for a turnaround victory, but the only problem is that their next two games come against the two-time defending champs.
The Dodgers blanked the Mets, 4-0, on Monday night, and will send their ace, Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the hill for Game 2 of the three-game set.
Los Angeles is a -205 favorite to add to the Mets’ woes on Tuesday night.
Juan Soto remains out for the Mets, but to see the lineup wilt in such a dire fashion is a shock. New signings Marcus Semien, Jorge Polanco, and Bo Bichette have been in the cooler since moving to Flushing, and they’ve been joined by Francisco Lindor, who is hitting .176 with zero homers and zero RBI in 17 games.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto takes the hill for the Dodgers on Tuesday. AP It’s all concerning and frustrating, but at some point, those bats will turn around. Doing so against Yamamoto is a tough assignment, but at least the Mets will counter with an in-form pitcher of their own, Nolan McLean.
Although his record says 1-1 through three starts, McLean has performed at an ace-level in 2026. The 24-year-old’s surface-level numbers (2.70 ERA and 0.84 WHIP) are tremendous, and his underlying stats back them up. There’s no smoke and mirrors here.
McLean will take on a beast of a lineup on Tuesday, but it’s a rare opportunity to get a pitcher in this kind of rhythm at this kind of price.
And don’t forget: A few weeks ago, the Mets were considered the second-best team in the National League and the club that stood the best chance to usurp the Dodgers.
Knowing when to buy low is crucial over the marathon MLB season, and this looks like one of those opportunities.
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
