One of the few bright spots for the Mets shined on Sunday

Clay Holmes lowered his ERA to 1.69 on Sunday to help the Mets win a series in Anaheim.

What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️

• The Mets defeated the Angels by a score of 5-1 in Anaheim on Sunday (box)

• RHP Clay Homes gave the Mets another splendid outing, allowing just a run over 6.2 innings pitched to lower his ERA to 1.69 for the season

• 1B Mark Vientos provided the bulk of the offense for the Mets on Sunday thanks to a pair of two-run home runs

• RF Carson Benge went 1-for-2 with an RBI double, two walks, two runs scored and a phenomenal diving grab in the victory

• The Mets bullpen provided 2.1 scoreless innings of relief thanks to the efforts of Luke Weaver and Brooks Raley

• New York claimed just their second series win on the road of the season, and their first since taking three-of-four vs. the Giants in early April

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Injury Updates 📰

• LHP AJ Minter (recovery from 2025 lat surgery) is dealing with velocity issues during his rehab assignment - he must be activated from the injured list on May 9

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The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️

On Sunday, Andrew and Rich recapped a 3-3 week for the Mets after winning their series against the Angels. Plus, reactions to Carlos Mendoza’s job apparently being safe.

SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

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Play of the Game ⭐️

With a runner on first and one out in the ninth inning on Sunday, Carson Benge made a spectacular diving catch in right field to rob Vaughn Grissom of an extra-base hit and possibly saving a run.

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Down on the Farm 🌾

• OF Cristian Pache (AAA): 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

• OF José Ramos (AA): 2-for-4, RBI, R, BB

• RHP Noah Hall (High-A): 4 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 6 K

• INF Branny De Oleo (Low-A): 1-for-3, 2B, BB, 2 RBI

BOX SCORES

Single-A SLU | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR

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Today’s Game 🗓

Match-up: Mets (12-22) at Rockies (14-21)

Where: Coors Field — Denver, CO

Starters: TBD vs. RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (3-1, 2.84 ERA)

When: 5:40 PM EDT

Where to Watch: SNY

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Good weekend, but a long, long way to go as major issues remain for the Mets ✍️

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OK, so the Mets won a series.

They beat a team that has generally played a lot like them in the Angels. It wasn’t necessarily pretty end-to-end. Their big issues and holes unquestionably remain, but here we are with the Mets having won a series for the first time in two weeks and for only the fourth time all season.

The offense unquestionably got a big boost from Mark Vientos on Sunday with his two home runs. He hasn’t done a whole lot at the plate since the first week of the season, but he at least flashed the power potential he is capable of on Sunday. Obviously, the Mets need more of this, but most importantly, they need more consistency and not just these games here and there where he looks like the player he is capable of being.

But the credit on Sunday goes directly to Clay Holmes, who once again paced the Mets with a stellar outing and offered some calm in this early season storm for the club. He has been tremendous so far this season, which is an extension from his very impressive first year as a starter for the Mets in 2025. What he has done to transition from a short reliever into an effective starter isn’t easy by any means, but he has fully embraced this role since day one. He began this journey in Port St. Lucie back in January, 2025, fully committing to the process of becoming a starting pitcher and has been a student of this role ever since he signed this three-year contract to be a starting pitcher before the 2025 season.

Nobody really knew how this would shake out for Holmes, especially since he was struggling with the Yankees at the time as a closer/short reliever. But he’s been all-in on the process here and right now anyway. He’s an early candidate for the National League Cy Young Award this year. Of course, there’s a long way to go before we can really be serious about that, but being able to say that is a testament to how well he has performed as one of the very, very few bright spots for the 2026 Mets so far.

There haven’t been very many moves that have worked out for David Stearns and this front office regime for the Mets since the end of the 2024 season. In fact, almost none of them have for one reason or another. But the Mets lucked out with Holmes here, and he has evolved into one of the better starting pitchers in the National League in a very short span of time, all things considered.

His sweeper so far this season is a ton better than it was last year - opponents are hitting just .133 against that pitch this year, compared to .218 last season. That’s probably been an early-season difference maker for him as he’s been able to refine that pitch a bit, but it actually has less vertical movement this season than it did last, according to StatCast. Whatever the case is, it’s more effective than it was last year, and he’s getting more swings and misses on that pitch in the process.

Now, he’s probably pitching with some luck on his side in the early goings here. He won’t pitch to a 1.69 ERA all year if I were to bet, but there’s no reason to expect he won’t continue to be a top-of-the-rotation starter for the Mets this season, assuming he stays healthy.

The issue for the Mets right now is it’s Holmes, Freddy Peralta, Nolan McLean, and pray for rain in their starting rotation. Those two have been generally stellar so far this year, but there isn’t a whole lot behind those three - they don’t even know who is pitching in Denver this afternoon, as of this writing. David Peterson may be more effective as a long reliever right now, Kodai Senga isn’t a big league pitcher at this point and is out indefinitely anyway, Christian Scott pitched pretty well in his most recent start against the Angels on Friday, but he’s a work in progress as he comes back from Tommy John Surgery and lacks a lot of big league experience to begin with. They could put Sean Manaea back in the rotation, but he hasn’t been consistent in the long relief role he’s been in all year, and it’s clear the Mets don’t think his stuff can play for more than one time through a batting order right now.

That leaves minor league alternatives, and right now, there probably aren’t any the Mets could or should turn to. Jonah Tong pitched well in his most recent start for Triple-A Syracuse, but it’s been a struggle for him in large measure so far in 2026. So, he’s probably not ready to contribute at the big league level. That could change over the next month or so, and I certainly hope that happens, but the Mets have an immediate problem they really can’t solve effectively among the internal options they have.

And, that problem certainly feels a lot like the problem that sank their ship in 2025.

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The difference this year, of course, is that nothing has gone right for them collectively, hence their 12-22 record entering play today. I guess you could say nothing has gone right for this team since June 12, 2025 which is approaching the one-year mark and 162-game mark.

With Vidal Brujan up with the Mets now, the Mets will be at their fourth different shortstop already in 2026. It’s May 4.

They’ve also used four different first basemen, three third basemen, seven left fielders, and four right fielders. It’s May 4.

Now, the problem at shortstop and in left field specifically has been the result of injuries to two star players, Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor. The rest of it is pretty much due to poor performance and the need to find answers at far too many positions on the field on a day-in, day-out basis.

Again, Vientos had an encouraging afternoon in Anaheim on Sunday, but if you’re sold that he is truly on the upswing, I have a bridge to sell you.

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I’m sorry - there’s just too much non-production from Vientos in between four good months in 2024 to believe that one good day is the beginning of a resurgence. He has to show more, and a lot more over a long period of time.

Then there’s Brett Baty, who I think returning to his best position at third base - even if it’s for a month - might help him feel more comfortable out there and make him more consistent at the plate. Seeing is believing - like Vientos, Baty has had three or so good months since 2023.

And none of this includes Bo Bichette’s slow start to his Mets tenure, the continued questions as to whether or not Marcus Semien can produce offensively at the big league level, whether or not Francisco Álvarez is another version of Vientos, and how on earth the Mets are going to navigate the center field and shortstop positions, and then keep both Lindor and Luis Robert Jr. healthy when or if they return.

So yeah, the Mets had a good weekend. They have a chance this week in Denver to build upon this positive weekend, but they have a long way to go before getting this season on the rails.

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Around the League 🚩

• The Phillies improved to 5-1 under new manager Don Mattingly in their 7-2 win over the Marlins

• The Yankees returned SS Anthony Volpe from his rehab assignment, and then optioned him to Triple-A - the Yankees blew away the Orioles 11-3 in the Bronx on Sunday

• RHP Justin Wrobleski lowered his ERA to 1.25 for the year with six shutout innings as the Dodgers beat the Cardinals 4-1

• Steven Matz allowed a run over six innings as the Rays edged the Giants 2-1 to improve to 21-12 on the season