Saturday, May 9, 2026 • 7:15 PM
Chase Field • Phoenix, AZ
RHP Clay Holmes (4-2, 1.69) vs. RHP Merrill Kelly (1-3, 9.95)
FOX

Believe it or not, the Mets are on the verge of winning their third consecutive series, despite being eight games under .500. The Mets beat the Diamondbacks in an extra-inning game overnight thanks to Mark Vientos who has been the engine of the Mets’ offense for the last week. Now the Mets turn to one of their most consistent pitchers this season to lock down the series win.

William Liang-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

  1. Juan Soto – LF
  2. Bo Bichette – SS
  3. MJ Melendez – DH
  4. Mark Vientos – 1B
  5. Carson Benge – RF
  6. Marcus Semien – 2B
  7. Brett Baty – 3B
  8. Francisco Alvarez – C
  9. Tyrone Taylor – CF

Starting Pitcher: Clay Holmes

Clay Holmes has pitched 42 2/3 innings this season over seven starts with a league-leading 1.69 ERA and 235 ERA+. He has a 3.65 FIP, 0.984 WHIP, and is allowing 5.9 H/9, way below his career rate of 7.7. In his last two starts, he allowed only one run from seven hits over 12 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against Holmes:

Opposing Lineup

  1. Ketel Marte – 2B
  2. Corbin Carroll – RF
  3. Geraldo Perdomo – SS
  4. Adrian Del Castillo – DH
  5. Ildemaro Vargas – 1B
  6. Nolan Arenado – 3B
  7. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. – LF
  8. Gabriel Moreno – C
  9. Ryan Waldschmidt – CF

Merrill Kelly has gotten off to a rough start this season. Last year, he made 32 starts between the Rangers and Diamondbacks with a 3.52 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 1.114 WHIP, and a 116 ERA+. This season, he has made four starts totaling 19 innings with a 9.95 ERA, 8.13 FIP, 2.316 WHIP, and a 42 ERA+. His first start of the season against the Orioles was solid, holding them to two runs over 5 1/3. Since then, he has allowed 19 earned runs over 13 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Kelly:

  • Francisco Alvarez 0-3, 3 K
  • Brett Baty 0-3, K
  • Andy Ibáñez 0-1
  • Marcus Semien 2-8, HR, 3 K
  • Austin Slater 2-11, BB, 3 K
  • Juan Soto 5-19, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 2 K
  • Tyrone Taylor 1-8, K
  • Luis Torrens 1-4, 2B, BB
  • Mark Vientos 0-1, BB

Game Notes

  • The Mets send Clay Holmes to the mound Saturday with a chance to win the series over the D-backs. Holmes enters his start with an NL-leading 1.69 ERA and the eighth-lowest batting average against at .189. Holmes has also been the best length pitcher for the Mets, pitching at least six innings in four of his seven starts.
  • Carson Benge is starting to heat up for the Mets. The 2024 first-round pick is slashing .314/.385/.486 with a homer in his last 35 at-bats, and doubled in a run in the Mets’ 10th inning victory Friday.
  • Brooks Raley pitched another scoreless inning Friday for the Mets. The lefty has been sensational for the Mets, and has now pitched 40 outings out of his last 46 without allowing an earned run.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Mark Vientos. Mark Vientos was the Mets’ offense again last night. He now has eight RBI’s in his last five games, is leading the Mets in home runs, and is tied for the lead in RBI’s. Vientos’ eight RBI’s come in games when the Mets scored a total of 11 runs, meaning Vientos is putting the whole team on his back some nights.
  2. Strikeouts. Merrill Kelly has rarely lit the world on fire with strikeouts. His career rate is 8.1 K/9, with only one season above 9.5. This season, he is struggling, striking out hitters 6.6 per nine. The Mets struggled a lot with swinging last night, racking up 10 K’s as a team. Three players (Soto, Torrens, Melendez) each struck out two times.
  3. Bullpen. The Mets had to use Weaver, Raley, Williams, and Myers last night. Most likely, they’ll be opening tomorrow’s game with an opener or two since it worked out well last time. Brazobán and Warren both haven’t pitched since Thursday but they are most likely candidates to open a game. Kimbrel hasn’t pitched since allowing a go-ahead grand slam to the Rockies. Sean Manaea hasn’t pitched since Wednesday when he allowed three hits before recording his first out. The Mets have avoided using anyone back-to-back days for the last week, and it feels like that stretch will probably end today. Devin Williams has only tossed a total of 25 pitches in his last three games (five days).

Let’s go Mets!