The Mets have been discussing the possibility of getting creative with their scuffling starting rotation for months, but thus far, they’ve made only minor tweaks. With the San Diego Padres coming to town Tuesday for what could potentially be a make-or-break series, the creativity conversations are on the table once again.
Right-hander Clay Holmes will start the series Tuesday night at Citi Field, and left-hander Sean Manaea will likely pitch behind him a tandem role. The Mets have faced questions about this type of situation over the last month as Manaea and Holmes both failed to work deep into games. Each time, the club would respond similarly, saying they need both of those pitchers to help them win games and that it’s the job of the team to get them right.
So far, they’ve shown flashes of the pitchers the Mets need them to be, but not for any sustained amount of time in the second half.
“There could be a chance that we could use a tandem and kind of go piggyback with them,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday at Citi Field. “But we’ve got to get through today and then see where we are after the off-day. But as of right now, we’re going weekly.”
Monday is a team off-day, and the Mets have another one next Monday ahead of their final road trip of the regular season. This allows them to use both starters together, at least if they keep Jonah Tong in the rotation. Tong has also been discussed for a potential piggyback role as well. The Mets haven’t committed to another start for him after the 22-year-old rookie was shelled in the first inning Friday night by the Texas Rangers.
Holmes (11-8, 3.75 ERA in 29 starts) hasn’t necessarily been bad for the Mets as a starter, but he certainly hasn’t been efficient in most of his second-half outings. He often has trouble finishing his outings, pitching into the sixth inning or later only once since Aug. 1. Even before that, he routinely failed to make it through the sixth.
Manaea (1-3, 5.76 ERA in 11 appearances, 10 starts) is in the midst of the worst season of his career. Forced to stretch out during the middle of the season after a right oblique strain and a loose body in his left elbow sidelined him until right before the All-Star Break, the Mets thought his issues would have been worked out by now, but he has yet to pitch past the sixth inning this season.
Manaea’s four-seam fastball isn’t getting the same rise it did last season, allowing hitters to barrel it up more often. But it’s the changeup getting hit the most, which wasn’t the case last season. According to Statcast, hitters are slugging .857 on his changeup this season, nearly double the damage they did on the pitch last season (.438 slugging).
Manaea has practically been at a loss for words after recent outings.
“It hasn’t been fun,” he said recently. “It’s been very, very frustrating. I don’t really know how to describe it.”
