The first pitch was a ball. The second, Rodríguez lined toward McLean, who fielded the ball on one hop behind his back, and then had the presence of mind to throw to second for a chance at a double-play.

Nevertheless, McLean instantly proved he belonged with 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball and eight strikeouts against a solid Mariners lineup. He made their hitters look foolish over and over again mostly with his sweeper and curveball.

But finishing this marathon has proven challenging: Holmes is averaging less than five innings in his last nine starts, the Mets losing five of them, as he’s posted a 5.02 ERA and his strikeout-walk ratio has shriveled to 1.66.

Mets call up top prospect Nolan McLean at the perfect moment, setting up potential PPI reward and immediate impact for this season and the future.

Paul Blackburn's time with the Mets is officially over, as the team formally released the veteran right-hander on Tuesday.