Clay Holmes chasing a deeper foundation to reach prime starter form

For seven straight starts, Clay Holmes has been unable to finish the sixth inning. His struggles to get deeper into games combined with the lack of distance from every rotation-mate besides David Peterson have put a further strain on an overworked and over-hurt Mets bullpen. David Stearns has publicly stated that the relief corps should be upgraded, which he expects to do at the trade deadline, and he has suggested that Triple-A starters could be shortened into relief help.

But could part of the Mets’ solution involve Holmes — a two-time All-Star closer whose innings are piling up in his first MLB season as a starter — converting back into either a lengthy relief option or as a setup man to Edwin Díaz?

Probably not. And even if so, not for a while.

“We see him as a starter, and we see him as a guy that can [start] in a playoff game for us,” pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said this week. “With the information I have right now — and we could get information as the season goes on and make a different decision based on that — but right now, we see it as: He is in a good spot.”

Holmes, whose previous career high had been the 70 innings he logged in 2021, has reached 108 ²/₃ innings before his 21st start of this season arrives Friday in San Francisco, agreed.

“I’m in a good spot,” said Holmes, who believes his recent inability to reach the later innings has been multipronged and has not surfaced because he is physically breaking down.

So the Mets and Holmes will try to get him back on the right (and longer) track after a seven-outing stretch in which he has not been hit around — he owns a 4.58 ERA in the span — but he has taken a step back, particularly with his command.

---

---

He walked 12 in his final three June starts, managing just 14 ²/₃ innings in the span. On July 7 in Baltimore, Holmes said his “stuff was as good as it’s been” as he allowed one run in five innings — on a softly struck RBI single from Jackson Holliday — before four straight hits from Orioles batters scored four runs in the sixth.

In his most recent start Saturday, he cruised through two innings then allowed a pair of runs in the third in part because of a throwing error from Luis Torrens. He got into more trouble in the fourth and sixth in part because he walked two and hit one.

During the first three innings this season, opposing hitters have posted a .606 OPS against Holmes. In the next three, that rises to .765. The sixth inning has been a particularly difficult one for the big righty to survive, a frame in which he owns a 9.35 ERA.

Holmes acknowledged that there probably is an aspect of physical fatigue concerning his recent struggles, but he said that is normal for any pitcher at this point of the season.

“It’s not one thing, really,” said Holmes, who believes the dip has been more related to pitch selection than exhaustion. “There’s a lot that goes into that. It’s not all physical. Some of it is just learning how to kind of pitch and use your stuff three times through the order. … But there’s a lot that goes into finishing your outings strong and going deeper into games.”

The 32-year-old said he is recovering well and, despite the recent issues, carries an impressive 3.48 ERA. The Mets have declined to place a strict innings limit on Holmes, and the club watched Luis Severino and Sean Manaea last season blow past their innings totals from previous seasons. The pair might not have been at full strength by the end, but they were strong enough to continue and contribute.

The Mets are handling Holmes similarly. After signing a three-year contract worth $38 million last winter, Holmes wants to prove himself as a starter for the duration of a season.

“That’s kind of what I’ve set out to do and what I’ve wanted to do,” Holmes said. “With where I’m at right now, to me, there’s no reason that can’t happen.”

Hefner said the Mets would only limit Holmes’ workload or consider a conversion if his stuff or his body suggests he should ease off the gas.

“I don’t think we have any intention of slowing him down,” Hefner said. “I do think going deeper into games, that is something that is top of mind for us.”