Mets secure three-game sweep of Guardians in first series since trade deadline

Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News on Aug 6, 2026

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

CLEVELAND — The minor league Mets appear to have reinvigorated the major league Mets. Who would have guessed that all they need to win baseball games is a group of ragtag journeymen looking for a chance?

After trading away about half of their bullpen, three starting pitchers and a beloved backup outfielder at the deadline on Monday, the Mets steamrolled the Cleveland Guardians, an AL wild-card team, completing a three-game sweep with a 13-6 win Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field.

It was an uncharacteristic performance. A team that has struggled to recover after giving up early leads and has routinely failed to tack on to their leads late in games did all of that and more.

Right-hander Nolan McLean struggled in the first inning, giving up two runs and facing eight hitters. The lineup picked him up in the second inning, with Marcus Semien and Luis Torrens each homering off left-hander Foster Griffin to go up 3-2. They added two more runs in the third inning, with an RBI triple by Carson Benge and a sac fly by Semien.

Griffin, in his first start since being traded by the Washington Nationals, was knocked out of the game after just four innings and five earned runs, taking only his fourth loss of the season (12-4).

McLean (8-7) had a similar line, giving up five earned runs on eight hits with three walks and eight strikeouts over five innings. A three-run homer by Nathaniel Lowe in the fifth doomed him, but he was able to get out of the inning, even after giving up two more hits with two outs. Going into the inning, the Mets were ahead 6-2, so Lowe’s homer brought the Guardians back to within one run of tying.

Yet again, the Mets came back, this time in the seventh against right-hander Craig Yoho. With two outs, Francisco Lindor hit a three-run shot against the team that drafted and developed him. It led to boos from the fans who once cheered for him.

They kept the pressure on the Guardians (57-59), scoring four more runs in the eighth off Slade Cecconi.

Lindor went 2 for 6 with his 10th home run and three RBIs. Torrens went 2 for 4 with his fourth homer, three RBIs, two runs scored and a walk. Semien went 3 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs. The Mets (49-67), without Juan Soto, lengthened the lineup, worked counts and drew six walks.

But credit the bullpen for preserving this win. Left-hander Nate Lavender, once a top prospect before he was on the shelf for two years with elbow injuries, retired the side in order in the sixth to preserve a one-run lead. He struck out two in his second big league appearance. Right-hander Kodai Senga, the Mets’ next high-leverage project, pitched a scoreless eighth with two strikeouts.