Clay Holmes Provides Length, Excels In Second Straight Outing

A few weeks ago, Clay Holmes looked destined for the bullpen. Now, after two solid starts, he seems to be finding a groove.

The right-handed starter earned the win in the Mets’ 9-2 victory over Atlanta on Saturday evening, a game that featured six Mets home runs and little stress from start to finish.

Holmes was excellent, pitching past the sixth inning for the first time since June 7. He allowed just three hits and two walks, struck out four, and gave up only two runs over 6 1/3 innings of work.

Holmes, along with David Peterson and Nolan McLean, has strung together strong outings this past week and change, giving the rotation some much-needed stability. After months of watching starters labor to get through the fifth, seeing multiple arms carry games into the later innings is a refreshing change.

Holmes’ previous outing was also encouraging: five innings against the Mariners, one earned run, and another four strikeouts.

The turnaround is especially reassuring given the concern about his workload. 

This is Holmes’ first full season as a major-league starter, and his innings total is already approaching a career-high. Still, as long as he keeps turning in outings like these, he’ll have no trouble holding down his spot in the rotation.

The advanced numbers back him up, too. 

His pitching run value sits in the top quarter of the league, and both his fastball and offspeed offerings grade in the top-20%. On top of that, Holmes continues to generate ground balls at one of the best rates in baseball, trailing only Peterson on the Mets staff.

For a team desperate for rotation answers, Holmes’ emergence couldn’t come at a better time.

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