Clay Holmes is thriving as a Mets starter with help from a new pitch
Mets right-hander Clay Holmes delivered another strong performance Friday night, going six innings while allowing just one run in a win against the Chicago Cubs.
It was his third quality start in his last four outings.
Holmes did finally surrender his first home run of the season, but that small blemish hardly matters given his overall success.
Eight starts into the season, Holmes has put up an impressive 2.74 ERA and a solid 2.75 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He’s averaging more than five innings per start, which is exactly what the Mets needed from him.
He’s already been more valuable this year than all of last season, according to Baseball Reference.
That’s pretty remarkable considering Holmes hasn’t been a starter since 2018. So how’s he pulling this off?
The secret is in his expanded pitch mix. While he mainly threw three pitches last season, he’s now regularly using six different offerings. The biggest addition? A nasty upper-80s “kick changeup” that’s become his second most-used pitch.
If you’re wondering what a kick changeup is, it’s a newer pitch where pitchers combine their regular changeup grip with a “spiked” finger position.
The results speak for themselves. Batters are hitting just .179 against Holmes’ changeup, and they’re whiffing on it nearly 38% of the time they swing.
“Adding the changeup has been a huge help,” Holmes said after Friday’s game. “I was able to use it against lefties there. I was able to use it the third time through and get some big outs. That has been a big pitch. Overall, it has gone well. It’s just trusting my pitches in the zone.”
But the changeup isn’t his only new weapon.
Holmes has also added a cutter he uses mainly against left-handed hitters and a four-seam fastball he’ll throw up in the zone to change batters’ eye levels.
These new pitches have helped him succeed even though his signature sinker has lost more than three miles per hour as he’s transitioned to longer outings.
The big question now is how Holmes will handle a full season of starting. If he keeps his current pace, he’ll pass his career-high for major league innings in less than six more starts.
How will his arm respond in the second half of the season when he’s way beyond his normal workload? That’s something to watch.
For now, though, the Mets couldn’t be happier with Holmes and their entire rotation. New York’s starters came into Saturday with the best ERA in baseball.
And they’ve done it without getting a single start from Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Paul Blackburn, or Christian Scott.
That’s impressive stuff, and Holmes and his new arsenal deserve a big share of the credit.
