If Clay Holmes' Opening Day start taught the Mets anything, it's that converting a reliever into a full-time starting pitcher is going to take a lot of work.
Now, it wasn't a terrible start for Holmes who went 4.2 innings against the Houston Astros in New York's 3-1 loss on Thursday, but it also didn't come as seamlessly as it did for the right-hander during spring training where Holmes looked untouchable.
Overall, Holmes allowed two earned runs on five hits. However, he walked four (and hit a batter), adding plenty of traffic on the basepaths and forcing him to throw extra pitches which didn't allow him to go deep into the game.
"I think the big thing was the walks," Holmes said about his first outing. "... I think if those walks were limited then we have a lot better chance at winning that game."
He continued: "Obviously the walks, they were not at good times. They were not good walks, all of them really. I think part of it was there’s a lot of new, maybe I’m thinking too much versus just attacking."
Despite making five starts during the spring and totaling 19.1 innings -- and looking dominant in the process -- Thursday's start was Holmes' first in the majors since his rookie season in 2018. Since then, the 32-year-old appeared in 300 games, all as a reliever, before taking the mound in the first inning against the Astros.
And even after catching up to speed during the trial run during camp, making a start in a MLB game (especially Opening Day) is a different beast entirely.
"I mean it’s different than spring training. You’re facing a lineup one through nine where they have a gameplan, there’s a lot more scouting both ways," Holmes said. "It’ll definitely be a learning process on how you navigate that, what pitches I can go to, how I can use my full arsenal, all those types of things and kind of building trust with it."
Facing a majority right-handed lineup, Holmes stuck with his sinker, his bread and butter pitch as a reliever, and hardly threw any changeups. But with a larger arsenal at his disposal and facing a lineup more than once through, Holmes will need to learn to trust some of his other pitches in big spots as well.
It's another sign that transitioning from the bullpen to the rotation can be difficult. Not to mention the difference in stamina required to pitch deeper into games, something Holmes has already discussed as being different for him.
"It’s a different approach to the game, it’s a different level of endurance," he said. "The more I get under me the more I’ll start to feel that and handle it."
As mentioned, Holmes' outing wasn't terrible and there are certainly positive things that can be taken away and built off of. One thing he referenced was being "able to limit the big innings."
The Astros scored one in the second and two in the third, but one of those came thanks to a throwing error by Luisangel Acuña that should've ended the inning but instead brought home a run. In fact, if New York's offense wasn't stymied by Framber Valdez's seven innings of work, the Mets had a real good chance of winning the game.
They came close in the ninth, loading the bases with nobody out and eventually sending Juan Soto to the plate as the go-ahead run. Soto struck out and finished his first game in blue and orange by going 1-for-3 with two walks.
"I think there’s gonna be a lot of growth and learning, especially here early on," Holmes said. "I think figuring out the things that I really need to nail down, how I want to attack lineups, how I want to use the arsenal, all those things.
What the prep looks like in between outings, the bullpens, the workload, what feels good. All those types of things, it’s gonna be important to assess and continue to build on where I’m at."
As for starting on Opening Day, the righty was thankful for the opportunity and will cherish the "special" moment.
"It’s a cool moment," Holmes said. "I don’t know if I ever pictured myself in this moment, but to be able to take it in, try to enjoy it as much as I could. It was special. It was cool to take it in, but we’ll build off this and keep moving forward."
