Clay Holmes Is A Gamble Paying Off Big In Back Of Mets Struggling Rotation

“Holmes has definitely been tough to start the year,” added Angels outfielder Jo Adell.

The Mets right-hander doesn’t fit the typical profile of a successful starter in today’s game. He relies on a sinker that has given him the third-best ground ball rate in baseball at 58.1 percent, and Holmes doesn’t strike out that many hitters.

But pitching to contact allows Holmes to go deep into games when he’s right. The Mets have had just three games where the starter has gone seven innings, and two of those belong to Holmes.

He gets outs, wins and innings, which is a formidable combination even if it’s not valued s much. Even more telling, hitters have an average of just .167 against Holmes in the fifth inning and beyond, which is remarkable.

No one knows if Holmes can continue to perform at this level, but there’s no doubt that he’s a high-quality pitcher who provides enormous value. He’s upped his usage of the sinker, and that’s paying off with a new level of results.

“It’s kind of a comfort thing,” Holmes said. “The trust with the sinker was always there, but I feel like especially now, I just feel like there’s a lot of confidence and trust in the sinker. … When I have that, I feel like I’m really able to pitch off it and feel like myself and pitch with some confidence.”