Reliable Benge Makes Crucial Contribution to Holmes' Standout Performance!
Meeting with the media before the Mets traveled to West Palm Beach to take on the Houston Astros on Saturday night, manager Carlos Mendoza spoke about a number of topics and players with New York still in the thick of it during spring training. Clay Holmes , the starter When the Mets signed Holmes last offseason with the idea of converting the career-reliever into a starting pitcher, a lot of people were skeptical if it could work. Even if it did work and Holmes acclimated to the change and pitched well, concerns over his innings pitched were always at the forefront of discussions.
Despite a shaky second half at times, Holmes did, in fact, pitch well in his first year as a full-time starter. The right-hander went 12-8, finished with a 3. 53 ERA in 33 games (31 starts) and pitched a career-high 165.
2 innings. The only time the right-hander ever really faltered came in July when he had a 4. 91 ERA (1.
57 WHIP) in six starts and even though he finished strong (3. 09 ERA in September/October), Holmes’ midseason struggles were to be expected as he entered uncharted territories for the first time in his career. But with that experience under his belt, Mendoza thinks his starter is now much more prepared going into his second season in the Mets’ starting rotation.
“Second year after a full year as a starter, he’s got a better understanding of what the routine looks like between outings, how he’s going to pace himself in outings, pitch usage, how he’s going to attack a lineup not only once or twice but three times through the order,” Mendoza said. “…This is a guy that wants to use all the resources, wants to use all the information and he continues to tinker with pitches. He’s got a pretty good repertoire versus lefties and righties and he’s in a good place.