Clay Holmes Leads the League in ERA and the Mets Are Begging Him to Save Their Season

The New York Mets are in freefall. After winning just one road series all season, they're throwing their best pitcher at the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday with everything on the line, and Clay Holmes is ready to answer the call. The right-hander will make his first career start against the Angels, and he's coming in hot. Holmes is the ERA leader across the National League at 1.75, and he hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his six starts this season.

This is desperation baseball masquerading as opportunity. The Mets beat Arizona to sit at 7-4, but have absolutely cratered since then, losing 18 of their last 22 games. That's the kind of collapse that gets managers fired. Their only road series win came way back on April 2-5 when they took three of four in San Francisco. They need Holmes to do what he's been doing all year: grind through six innings with a pristine fastball and an edge that makes hitters look foolish.

Holmes Is Coming Off a Dominant Tuesday Performance

In his last outing against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, Holmes delivered exactly what the Mets needed. He allowed just three hits and a walk over six innings while striking out six in an 8-0 blowout win. Teammate Juan Soto raved about his consistency to the New York Post, saying, "He's been doing it since last year. No surprise what he's been doing. He's a grinder. He's been putting in the work every day, so I'm really happy to see that."

Holmes is 0-0 with a 2.35 ERA in nine career relief appearances against the Angels, so while he hasn't faced Los Angeles in a starting role, he's been effective against them before.

The Angels Just Stole One, and They're Hungry

The Mets won Friday's series opener 4-3 on Ronny Mauricio's go-ahead homer in the seventh. But Saturday's game? That one hurt. The Angels won 4-3 in 10 innings on Oswald Peraza's walk-off bases-loaded single off Austin Warren, snapping a seven-game losing streak for Los Angeles. Peraza lined an 0-2 curveball into the gap in left-center with automatic runner Adam Frazier on third.

Jack Kochanowicz (2-0, 3.09) gets the ball for the Angels on Sunday. The right-hander is chasing his first win since April 10-12 at Cincinnati, when he allowed just two hits and one run over seven innings in a 10-2 victory.

Game three is Sunday afternoon in Anaheim. The Mets need it. The Angels need it. And Holmes needs to do what he's done all season: shut the door.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.