Holmes Makes Final Start Before Departing for WBC

In what could be his final appearance of spring training, Clay Holmes threw four solid innings in the Mets’ 4-3 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday. He managed to work around some traffic on a couple of occasions, allowing one earned run on three hits and one walk. After throwing 57 pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays earlier in the week, Holmes reached 63 pitches against Houston.

With a runner in scoring position, he induced two ground balls to get out of trouble in the first inning. After the first two men reached base to begin the second, Holmes created a strikeout and then an inning-ending double play to keep the Astros off the board with his sinker. Houston would get on the board in the third inning with a Zach Cole sacrifice fly. But Holmes finished his day with a straightforward fourth, including back-to-back strikeouts.

Overall performance levels in his second full season as a starter will be one of the many discussion points regarding the Mets’ rotation. But for now, that will be put to the side as Holmes heads to the World Baseball Classic with Team USA. While his role isn’t confirmed, it’s fair to expect him to work out of the bullpen. Could that be in long-relief? Does that mean one or two innings per outing? It will probably vary from game to game. But with some of the names on the roster, such as Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes and Logan Webb, Holmes is unlikely to start.

Luckily for him, working out of the bullpen is something he has done for a very long time. The interesting wrinkle is if he performs well in that role, would the Mets be willing to utilize Holmes as a reliever? There is no indication that they would, at least at the moment. But with the amount of options they have in rotation, maybe that’s something they would visit down the line. Let’s see. Of his 33 appearances last season for the Mets, only two came as a reliever.

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