The 23-year-old Gabrysh who has pitched exclusively in High-A this year. He has a 5.14 ERA in 18 appearances (17 starts), but his 29.0 K% is fourth in the South Atlantic League.

Spikeman is a former third round pick who walks a ton (21.6 BB%) and steals some bases (18), though he has yet to homer this season in High-A. MLB Pipeline had him as their preseason No. 27 Phillies’ prospect. He has above average speed and arm on defense, where he has played mostly center this season. He does have experience in both corner outfield spots, too.

New York acquired Raley from Tampa Bay for a minor-league pitcher after the 2022 season. The lefty pitched to a 2.80 ERA in 2023, saved three games and tallied 61 strikeouts against 25 walks over 54 2/3 innings. He threw seven scoreless innings to start 2024 before going down with an elbow injury that ultimately required Tommy John surgery. He missed the rest of the season.

Raley was a free agent after the 2024 season and in April 2025, the Mets gambled that he would return to form off of surgery, inking him to a two-year deal – $2.3 million for 2025 and a $5.2 million team option for this season. It paid off.

Raley didn’t miss a beat when he returned to the big leagues in July 2025. In 30 appearances, he pitched to a 2.45 ERA over 25 2/3 innings, struck out 25 and walked six. The Mets picked up the option and he was a steady presence in the bullpen this year as well.

Raley has been tougher on lefties in his career (they have hit .183/.259/.282 vs. him in 439 plate appearances as of this writing), but has more than held his own against right-handed hitters as well. (Righties slashed .230/.320/.371 in 759 PAs).

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After dropping the first two games at Citi Field, the Mets used some clutch hitting and big hits to take the series finale and avoid the season sweep.

As a result, the Mets snapped a three-game losing streak. However, they are still 18 games below .500 with a 44-62 record.

With that, let’s recap everything from the Dodgers series in the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

May 18, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Mets left fielder Tyrone Taylor (28) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a run during the second inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images

3 UP

RED-HOT TAYLOR

Not only is Tyrone Taylor on a heater right now, but he’s probably also turning himself into a pretty valuable trade chip. The veteran outfielder was a spark plug throughout the Dodgers series. He gave the Mets a chance in Saturday’s game with a clutch two-run pinch-hit double. While those runs ultimately proved to be in vain in a close loss, Taylor did play a huge role in Sunday’s win. He hit a three-run bomb in the sixth inning to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead, a lead the Mets never relinquished. Furthermore, since returning from the IL in late June, Taylor has five homers in 18 games with a 1.403 OPS. He could be a tantalizing target for a contender in need of offensive depth and strong outfield defense.

DOING HIS BIT

Sean Manaea held up his end of the bargain on Friday night by delivering a more than solid outing on the mound. He allowed just one run on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts over six innings. In other words, Manaea largely shut down the vaunted Dodgers lineup. While the Mets still lost the game, Manaea’s quality start gave them every chance, and that’s all you can ask out of your starter.

CLOSING IT OUT

Other than Friday night, the bullpen delivered for the Mets over the weekend. While Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter gave the series opener away, others stepped up over the rest of the weekend. It started on Saturday when Daniel Duarte and Huascar Brazobán combined for three scoreless innings to keep the Mets in with a chance. Then, on Sunday, Cionel Pérez provided two scoreless innings of relief in a big spot. That was backed up by Raley, Luke Weaver, and Devin Williams coming together to shut down the Dodgers the rest of the way. No matter what, this bullpen finds a way to come through.

Juan Soto by Berto Carlo

3 DOWN

TIME TO SHUT DOWN?

Maybe it is time for the Mets to put Juan Soto on the shelf for the rest of the year. The superstar outfielder was placed on the IL on Saturday with a left calf strain. It is more severe than the right calf strain he suffered earlier in the season. Given that Soto is expected to miss up to four weeks of action, the Mets should do the sensible thing and shut him down until 2027. With nothing left to play for, it makes no sense to mess around with a guy who has now had two separate calf injuries this year, especially when talking about a player of Soto’s importance.

TIME TO SAY GOODBYE?

If Sunday’s game proves to be Freddy Peralta‘s last in a Mets uniform, then it will be a fitting farewell. In a mirror image of his entire season, Peralta struggled in the series finale. He gave up three runs – two earned – on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts. He also needed a whopping 93 pitches just to get through four innings. With a 4.99 ERA on the year, Peralta’s time with the Mets has been a monumental failure. It might be best for all parties to have a fresh start.

ERROR CITY

It wouldn’t be the 2026 Mets without an error-laden game. With the first two games of the series both being decided by two runs or less, small margins were going to be key. Well, as has been the case this year, the Mets couldn’t get out of their own way in that regard. Take Saturday’s game, for instance. With the game scoreless in the third inning, Brett Batyand Nolan McLean both made critical mistakes, effectively handing the game and series to the Dodgers. Sloppy play continues to doom the Mets.

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Use Big Bats To Avoid LA Sweep appeared first on Metsmerized.

Brooks Raley

Position: Reliever

Bats/Throws: L/L

Age: 38 (June 29, 1988)

2026 Traditional Stats: 40 G, 35.2 IP, 2.02 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 0 S, 27 H, 37 SO, 14 BB

2026 Advanced Stats: 208 ERA+, 24.7 K%, 9.3% BB%, 3.64 xERA, 3.18 FIP, 4.05 xFIP, 1.2 bWAR, 0.7 fWAR

Contract Status: Free Agent, $5 million 2026 contract

David Frerker-Imagn Images

Rundown

Raley has been with the Mets since 2023 and has been a consistent force whenever he is on the mound. Across 123 innings in Queens, he has a 2.34 ERA and 1.098 WHIP. He continues to strike out a shade under ten batters per nine. He excels at limiting hard contact with a 32.3% hard-hit rate (86th percentile), 5.2% barrel rate (84th percentile) and 87.5 mph average exit velocity against (74th percentile). He pitches well against both left-handed and right-handed hitters.

Raley’s best pitch is his sweeper, which generates an 33.7% chase rate. He is able to generate up to 35 inches of horizontal break and it has a plus spin rate of 2902 rpm. He pairs this with a high-spin cutter that plays up even at a lower velocity of 86.4 miles per hour. That pitch generates a 35.9% whiff rate. He has a sinker and a changeup that he can pair to generate ground balls when needed.

POTENTIAL LANDING SPOTS

Left-handed leverage relievers tend to bring back good returns at the deadline because they’re somewhat rare.

Some examples of recent trades include:

• 2023 Aroldis Chapman for LHP Cole Ragans and Roni Cabrera
• 2022 Garrett Cleavinger for OF German Tapia
• 2021 Daniel Norris for RHP Reese Olson
• 2021 Brad Hand for C Riley Adams
• 2021 Andrew Chafin for RHP Daniel Palencia and OF Greg Deichman

None of the players acquired in these trades were top-100 prospects at the time of the trade, but most were considered “helium” prospects, raising their stock.

1. Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays currently have the worst left-handed reliever ERA at 5.96. Mason Fluharty is the only left-handed reliever that’s thrown 18 innings for the Jays this season and he has a 4.83 ERA, though his underlying metrics are better than that. If they want to compete, they need to be able to get left-handed hitters out. Would they consider trading right-handed pitcher Johnny King who should be in Double-A soon? Or maybe the Mets would want someone they could call up immediately like Charles McAdoo, who has great contact skills and good power metrics.

2. Tampa Bay Rays

Would the Rays want a reunion with Raley to pair with Cleavinger? This would allow them to shift Ian Seymour into a lower leverage role. He has looked better recently, but the Rays would probably rather a more established arm in that spot as they look to win the AL East. Would the Rays be willing to part with RHP Michael Forret, who was recently called up to Triple-A? Or maybe the Mets want a higher ceiling prospect and go for a younger player like SS Andreimi Antunez.

3. Pittsburgh Pirates

Last offseason, the Pirates brought in Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery to be their left-handed leverage relievers, and both have been uneven at best. Their best performance has come from 29-year-old Evan Sisk, but he is approaching his career high in innings and is currently on the IL with left elbow inflammation. Perhaps the club would be willing to part with someone like Khristian Curtis, who just reached Triple-A on the back of his new cutter.

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The following are the most notable free agents the Mets will have following 2026: LHP A.J. Minter, LHP David Peterson, RHP Freddy Peralta, LHP Brooks Raley, and OF Tyrone Taylor. With these individuals coming off the books, it’ll grant the Mets an additional $35.65 million in payroll.

In addition to the straight free agents, the Mets have several players with options. These consist of the following: INF Bo Bichette (player), OF Luis Robert Jr. (team), and RHP Clay Holmes (player). If each were to not return in 2027, the Mets would clear another $75 million. However, both Bichette and Robert Jr. do have a buyout, which brings that $75 million figure closer to $65 million.

In total, the Mets may be set to shed in excess of $130 million in payroll entering the offseason. A massive figure that would drop them from the highest payroll in the league to a figure that would currently rank toward the bottom of the top-10. Granted, their will be several moves to be made following that.

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On Friday night, against the National League East Division-leading Atlanta Braves, Bichette had one of his finest performances as a Met. He launched two home runs, including a grand slam, that led the Mets to a 7-5 win. Nolan McLean struggled again, but the bullpen hung on in the end. The Mets are now 31-38 on the season.

Bo Bichette by Berto Carlo

Bichette With a Six-RBI Night

On fireworks night at Citi Field, Bichette started the festivities with a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning off Braves starter Spencer Strider to get the Mets on the board first. Juan Soto followed that with a home run, making it back-to-back jacks to start things off for the Mets. One inning later, the Mets loaded the bases with two outs with hits from MJ Melendez and Luis Torrens before Carson Benge reached base on a hit-by-pitch. Bichette stepped in and cleared the right field wall for an opposite-field grand slam that put the Mets up 6-2. Bichette added a sacrifice fly later in the game to make it 7-2 New York. He now has three home runs in his last two games.

Nolan McLean With Another Tough Outing

The one big negative coming out of the win was the performance of McLean, whose struggles as of late continued. The Mets were hoping his start in San Diego would get him back on the right track, but a four-inning, four-walk performance, including a second inning where he threw over 40 pitches, was not the start he or the team was looking for.

In that second inning, McLean allowed the Braves to score twice to tie the game after the Mets’ offense gave him a quick 2-0 lead. Three walks and two hits were allowed by McLean in the frame, but that included a fielding error by Jared Young at first base on a pick-off attempt that allowed Ozzie Albies, who drew the first walk of the inning, to reach second base. Dominic Smith would drive him in with a single. 

McLean was struggling and loaded the bases with nobody out. This was where the best part of McLean’s night came, though; he struck out Austin Wynns, got Mauricio Dubón to pop out and Michael Harris II to ground out to keep the game even at 2-2. 

Devin Williams Record First Four-Out Save Since 2023

With McLean’s outing being short, Carlos Mendoza had to ask his bullpen to pick up the slack. Cionel Pérez gave the Mets 1 1/3 innings, while Huascar Brazobán threw 1 2/3 innings of his own with four strikeouts. Brooks Raley struggled in the eighth by allowing three hits and two earned runs to make it 7-4. Mendoza subsequently called on his closer, Devin Williams, to get him four outs, something the former All-Star hadn’t done since 2023 when he was in Milwaukee. He allowed an RBI single to Eli White in the eighth but got Rowdy Tellez to fly out to end the threat.

In the ninth, Williams had to work for his save as Dubon sent him on a 14-pitch at-bat that ended in a single. Williams, though, would strike out Harris and Matt Olson to end the game. It was Williams’ tenth save of the season. 

Player of the Game: Bo Bichette

Bichette had his best game as a Met with two home runs and six RBIs, leading the Mets to the win.

On Deck

The Braves will pitch Martin Perez on Saturday, while the Mets have yet to announce a starter, though the expectation is that it will be Sean Manaea. First pitch is at 4:10 pm EDT, and the game will be telecast locally on SNY and broadcast on WHSQ 880AM.

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After finishing the road trip strong, the Mets dropped the first two games to St. Louis at Citi Field. Granted, the bats did wake up to avoid a series sweep.

However, all in all, the three-game series against the Cardinals was another reminder that the Mets have a lot of work to do just to get to .500.

On that gloomy note, let’s recap everything from the last three games in the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

3 UP

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

When his team needed him, Juan Soto really stepped up on Thursday. Facing a series sweep, Soto had a big day at the plate to ensure that particular scenario was avoided. The superstar hitter went 2-for-4 with a home run and a double in the finale. Soto’s solo shot came in the seventh inning and proved to be the deciding run. Granted, Soto went 1-for-6 in the previous two games, but his ability to come through in big moments meant that the Mets at least salvaged something from the series.

CLOSING IT OUT

One positive to emerge from this series was the performance of the bullpen. Granted, the bullpen game on Wednesday didn’t go to plan. But, outside of that, there were some money outings. Cionel Pérez tossed scoreless outings in back-to-back days. Then, on Thursday, A.J. Minter, Brooks Raley, Luke Weaver, and Devin Williams combined to throw 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief in Thursday’s win. Minter, Weaver, Raley and Williams have all been stellar as of late and are doing what has been asked of them.

IMPORTANT ROLE PLAYER

Jared Young has emerged as quite the contributor for this team. The veteran has stepped up and made the first base job his own. Furthermore, Young has gotten off to a hot start in June. He homered in the series finale against the Cardinals – his third homer this month. He also made it a tied game in the fifth with an RBI single. All in all, since returning from the IL, Young has provided a much-needed and unexpected offensive spark.

Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

3 DOWN

TIME TO PANIC?

This is not the Freddy Peralta the Mets thought they were getting. The veteran has been solid so far in Queens, but nothing more than that. However, he has struggled as of late, culminating in another rough outing on Tuesday. Peralta allowed six runs on six hits over six innings of work. He has now allowed at least four runs in three of his last four starts. Yikes, that isn’t good. What the Mets decide to do with Peralta remains to be seen. But, if he continues pitching like this, then his trade value will be at an all-time low by the time the trade deadline arrives.

DOWNWARDS TRAJECTORY

The David Peterson problem continues to worsen for the Mets. Serving as the bulk reliever for Wednesday’s game, Peterson got beat up. He allowed six earned runs on seven hits, including a pair of home runs, over 3 2/3 innings. As a result, Peterson has now allowed 12 runs in his last 12 2/3 innings. He owns a 5.75 ERA and appears to be trending in the wrong direction yet again. Peterson has now allowed at least six runs in four of his last 14 appearances, something he had never done more than three times previously in his career. And, with his command continuing to be an issue, it remains to be seen where the Mets go with Peterson from here.

SAME OLD STORY

At this point, we are where we are with the Mets offense. It was non-competitive for the first two games of the series, recording just two runs and eight hits. You can’t win games with an offense that ice cold. Sure, the bats did wake up somewhat in the series finale, but the damage was already done by that point. Over the first two games, we saw more of the same: no pulse, no adjustments, and a real lack of clutch hitting. Unless this offense can find some consistency, and that is hard to believe right now, then this team will continue to go nowhere.

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Evade Sweep Against Cardinals appeared first on Metsmerized.

Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Mets Offense Held to Two Hits

It seems to be a theme for the Mets’ offense, or it’s just who they are at this point. After an encouraging series offensively over the weekend against the Miami Marlins, the hope was that they could carry that over on this six-game road trip out west. However, against the Mariners’ pitching, one of the best in baseball, it was going to be tough, and it proved to be a tall task on Monday night. Solo home runs by Jared Young and Marcus Siemian were all they could muster up against Mariners starter Emerson Hancock. Hancock was effective early with four perfect innings before allowing the home run to Young in the top of the fifth. The Mets struck out seven times against Hancock.

Against the Mariners’ bullpen, the offense was no-hit for the remainder of the game. In the top of the ninth against Andres Munoz, MJ Melendez reached base on a hit-by-pitch that was nullified by Brett Baty grounding into a double play. Tied at 2-2 heading into the tenth with Bo Bichette as the ghost runner, Juan Soto and Mark Vientos each struck out swinging, and A.J. Ewing popped out against Gabe Speier.

Brooks Raley Allows Key Home Run 

Brooks Raley took the ball in the seventh with the Mets up 2-1. Hoping to hand the ball off to Luke Weaver for the eighth. However, the lefty allowed a game-tying home run to Josh Naylor. It was the second home run Raley has allowed this season. Prior to the home run by Naylor, Raley had gone four consecutive appearances without allowing a run.

In what was an odd game, the first hit of the day that wasn’t a home run from either team came in the seventh inning when Raley allowed a single to Cole Young after Naylor’s game-tying homer.

Manaea Gives the Mets Length

With David Peterson back in the bullpen for the time being after he struggled again as a starter, the Mets are giving Manaea more of a chance to prove he can still be an effective starter. New York threw a bullpen game today, opening with Austin Warren. Manaea would come in as the long man. Manaea came in after Warren hit Randy Arozarena to start the second inning. From there, Manaea pitched well in five innings of work with his only blemish being a home run he allowed to Colt Emerson in the bottom of the third inning.

Aside from that, Manaea went five innings and struck out four to keep the Mets in the game, and he handed the ball off to Raley with the Mets up 2-1. It was the third consecutive good outing for Manaea out of the bullpen. Mendoza said after the game that it was the best he’s seen Manaea pitch this season.

Player of the Game: Sean Manaea

Manaea pitched very well and struck out five Mariners batters in what the Mets hope is an encouraging sign for their left-hander.

On Deck:

The Mets’ offense will face another top pitcher from the Mariners, Logan Gilbert, on Tuesday night. New York has yet to announce a starter for the game. First pitch is at 9:40 pm EST, and the game is televised locally on SNY and broadcast on WHSQ 880 AM.

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Weaver, especially, had the gutsiest performance by any Mets pitcher this season as he battled out of a bases-loaded and nobody-out jam. David Peterson was solid out of the bullpen as he went four innings and struck out eight. The Mets move to 19-26 on the season.

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Weaver Saves The Day

With the Mets up 5-2 in the top of the seventh inning, Brooks Raley allowed a double to Aaron Judge to start. Then, Carson Benge had another defensive miscue in his rookie season as he dropped a routine flyball by Cody Bellinger that scored Judge. Raley hit Paul Goldschmidt, and Jazz Chisolm Jr. bunted a pitch over Raley for an infield single. Weaver then came in with a tall task.

Weaver began his outing by striking out Amed Rosario on a foul tip changeup. He struck out Trent Grisham on three pitches. Then followed by getting out of the jam on a force out by Anthony Volpe, keeping the Mets in the lead at 5-3. After the Mets scratched out a run in the bottom of the seventh, Weaver threw a scoreless eighth inning by getting Ben Rice to ground into a double play and Judge to fly out. 

Soto Has a Big Day

Soto may not have had an RBI or a home run like on Friday night, but he was productive in other ways in Saturday’s win. He reached base four times in the win with two hits and two walks, and scored from first base on an RBI double by Mark Vientos. Soto also notched his second and third stolen bases of the season in the eighth inning. 

Three RBIs For Vientos

Vientos has been an RBI machine for the Mets over the last 13 games with 12. On Saturday, he added three more to this stretch. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Vientos lined a double down the left field line to plate two. That put the Mets up 5-2. Then Vientos’s RBI groundout in the seventh inning extended the Mets’ lead to 6-3. 

Benge Notches Three-Hits 

While the topic of conversation about Benge will be his defense after he made his second defensive blunder in as many days, he continues to swing the bat well at the plate. He had three more hits, a double and two singles, and scored two runs. His third hit came on an infield single after his error and after getting a pep talk from manager Carlos Mendoza. 

Player of the Game: Luke Weaver

Tough one to choose after the big days from Soto and Vientos. Weaver’s effort and performance give him the nod for the win. Getting out of the bases-loaded jam and giving the Mets two shutout innings to preserve a win. 

On Deck

Freddy Peralta takes the mound for the Mets on Sunday against the Yankees’ right-hander Elmer Rodríguez. The game will be telecast locally on SNY and broadcast on WHSQ 880am at 1:40 pm EDT.

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Despite finishing a long road trip 5-4, the Mets return home with a 15-25 record on the year. After showing some progress against Anaheim and Colorado, New York dropped two out of three to the Diamondbacks.

At this point, it is fair to wonder if we’re just destined for a long, tough season full of more losing than winning. We’re 35 games in, and this team doesn’t look capable of turning things around.

Time to strap on our big boy pants and recap yet another tough weekend in the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down …

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

3 UP

BOUNCING BACK

After lasting just four innings in his previous start, Nolan McLean looked more like himself against the Diamondbacks on Friday. The righty tossed six innings, allowing just one earned run on three hits and one walk while striking out six. Admittedly, McLean didn’t have his best stuff, and he did face some traffic. However, he gutted it out and did his job to ensure that three runs were enough to win the series opener.

CONSISTENT EXCELLENCE

We’re over 30 games into the 2026 season, and Clay Holmes continues to be the Mets’ best and most reliable starter. And while he didn’t get the result he wanted in his latest start on Saturday, he was still impressive. He was able to limit the damage by allowing just two runs on five hits across 5.2 innings with six strikeouts. Sadly, the offense managed just one run. As a result, another solid Holmes start was wasted. Regardless, Holmes now owns a stellar 1.86 ERA on the year. Talk about a bright spot.

GOOD RELIEF

You can’t blame the bullpen for the Mets losing two out of three in Arizona. Across the three games, the relief pitching was money. Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, Devin Williams, and Tobias Myers combined for four scoreless innings of relief in the opener. Austin Warren and Craig Kimbrel also tossed scoreless innings on Saturday. And on Sunday, the bullpen was let down by bad defense. However, both Myers and Sean Manaea went scoreless over an inning each. All in all, the pen more than did its job.

Apr 26, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Bo Bichette (19) talks with catching coach J.P. Arencibia (68) following a 3-0 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

3 DOWN

ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACKWARDS

There is enough of a sample size now to suggest that the Mets are just a bad baseball team. They are the worst team in baseball and can’t get out of their own way. The Diamondbacks series was emblematic of that. After winning back-to-back series on the road, New York dropped two sloppy games to finish the trip on a low note. There is just no consistency with this team. Furthermore, the same old mistakes just keep on being repeated. At this point, it is hard to envision anything but another embarrassing, failed season.

CALAMITY CITY

The Mets keep on finding new ways to lose baseball games. Just look at Sunday. The team committed three errors, two of which came from Andy Ibáñez. The result? Three unearned runs were scored in the sixth inning, effectively sealing the loss. You can’t commit errors on routine throws and expect to win baseball games. Sunday also highlighted once again just how flawed this roster is. Too many pieces don’t fit, especially defensively, and it is hard to see how that will improve in-season.

STARS GONE MISSING

The offense was woeful yet again during this series. As a result, the Mets have the fourth-lowest OBP (.287) through 40 games in franchise history. They are also averaging the second-fewest runs (3.48) in baseball, and rank last in several other categories. Across the three games, the offense scored just five runs and recorded a measly 12 hits. Of course, it didn’t help that Juan Soto went a combined 0-for-10 against Arizona. Bo Bichette also went 0-for-10. If the best hitters on the team can’t record even one hit, then that isn’t going to help an already horrific offense. Given their statures, Soto and Bichette need to wake up and start carrying this lineup on their backs.

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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:

• Nolan Arenado 2-7, BB, K
• Corbin Carroll 1-1
• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 2-8, K
• Ketel Marte 0-3, K
• James McCann 0-2, BB, K
• Geraldo Perdomo 0-1

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!

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