Detroit – Clay Holmes had a tough outing at an inopportune time, failing to hit the strike zone consistently during several pitches.
The Mets’ right-hander ended up walking Colt Keith in five innings on Wednesday.
Holmes did manage to get Graybartores out for his second out, putting himself in a position to escape the inning with a 1-1 tie, possibly even pitching the sixth.
However, after issuing a second walk to Kelly Carpenter, the plan for Holmes changed. He was pulled from the game, and Gregory Soto came in only to let Riley Greene hit a two-run single, leading to a 6-2 loss against the Tigers at Comerica Park.
“It came out today, and mine was really good. It’s probably some of the best I’ve had early on and throughout the game,” Holmes remarked. “I think I’m in a good place overall. It’s just about competing, you know? Each pitch matters a lot right now.”
When asked if he was caught off guard by manager Carlos Mendoza’s decision to take him out after the walk to Carpenter, Holmes responded, “We try not to dwell on that on the mound. It’s really not the best mindset to have. Ultimately, I was just focused on winning the inning.”
Francisco Alvarez was behind the plate for the second consecutive game, making a rehabilitation appearance with Triple-A Syracuse. He hit a grand slam and walked during his four at-bats.
Alvarez is eligible to come off the injured list, but Mendoza wasn’t ready to confirm if he would be active for the next game. Alvarez is recovering from a ligament sprain in his right thumb and a broken little finger in his left hand.
Nolan McLean, according to Opta Sports, has also made history as the second major league pitcher to start his career with a 4-0 record and a Sub-1.50 ERA, along with at least 25 strikeouts in his first four starts. The only other pitcher to achieve this was Fernando Valenzuela with the Dodgers back in 1981. McLean’s 28 strikeouts in his initial four appearances mark the highest in franchise history, surpassing past records held by Tylor Megill, Dwight Gooden, Matt Harvey, and Dick Selma, all of whom had 26.
McLean stands out as the only Mets pitcher to win all four of his first starts in the big leagues.
