Why was it a good decision to lift Clay Holmes, despite the blow up?
The Mets dropped the opener to Tampa thanks to poor work from the bullpen, lack of clutch hitting
What’s up with the Mets? ⚾
The Mets had their six-game winning streak snapped after losing 7-5 to the Rays at Citi Field on Friday night (box)
RHP Clay Holmes enjoyed a strong night on the mound, allowing just one earned run on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts, before being questionably pulled after just 79 pitches
RHP Paul Blackburn and RHP Max Kranick combined to allow six earned runs on seven hits to hand Tampa the lead and, ultimately, the win
DH Starling Marte had a big night at the plate, finishing 3-for-4 with a season-high three RBIs
The Mets went just 2-for-16 with RISP and leaving 12 runners stranded on base
Roster Moves 📰
RHP Kodai Senga placed on 15-Day IL with right hamstring strain
RHP Max Kranick recalled from Triple-A Syracuse
Injury Updates 🏥
RHP Kodai Senga (right hamstring strain) is dealing with a low-grade strain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, with Mets manager Carlos Mendoza describing it as “relatively good news”
OF Jesse Winker (right oblique strain) is progressing in ramp-up activities but is still “multiple weeks away” from beginning a rehab assignment
OF Jose Siri (fractured left tibia) suffered a setback with the bone not healing to the Mets’ liking. He has now been shut down from all baseball activities
LHP Brooks Raley (Tommy John Surgery) could start a rehab assignment as early as next week, before beginning a full ramp-up period that could last 30 days
RHP Frankie Montas (right lat strain) struggled once again in his latest rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse, allowing eight runs on seven hits and a walk with one strikeout in just 1.2 innings
3B Mark Vientos (low-grade hamstring strain) said his hamstring is “feeling a lot better” and he’s pushing for a return in the next couple of weeks
David Stearns Speaks 🗣️
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns spoke to reporters before Friday’s game and said the following:
Stearns would not comment on a potential contract extension for Pete Alonso
Stearns admitted that the third base position is a “constant discussion,” likening it to a “carousel and puzzle” in terms of playing time
Stearns gave plenty of credit to pitching coach Jeremy Hefner for the success of the pitching staff
Stearns indicated the Mets will be looking for a left-handed reliever ahead of the trade deadline in an effort to mitigate the loss of AJ Minter, who is out for the year with a torn lat
Referring the possibility of Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean and other pitching prospects making an impact in the major leagues this season, Stearns said there is a “steep hill to climb” for those prospects due to the amount of pitching depth already at the Major League Level
Stat of the Day 📊
Entering Friday, the Mets began play as the only MLB team with four players who had at least 13 homers (1B Pete Alonso, LF Brandon Nimmo, SS Francisco Lindor and RF Juan Soto)
It marked the first time in franchise history that the Mets had four players with as many homers through 70 games
Prior to Friday’s game, the Mets had started out 27-7 at Citi Field. Only two teams since 1980 (2023 Rays, 1998 Yankees) have started out better at home than the 2025 Mets
Who’s Hot? 🔥
Over his last 10 games, DH Starling Marte is hitting .333/.412/.500/.912 with eight runs scored, two doubles, a homer, four walks and four RBIs
RF Juan Soto is hitting .409/.536/.773/.1.308 with nine runs scored, two doubles, two home runs, six walks and five RBIs over his last six games
Play of the Game 🙃
In the top of the sixth, with two outs and a runner on second, and with the game tied at 5-5, Max Kranick had a chance to stop the bleeding and turn the game over to the Mets offense heading into the seventh.
Instead, Kranick couldn’t limit the damage. He was taken deep by Danny Jansen, who blasted a two-run homer to give the Rays a lead they would never give up the rest of the way.
Granted, Paul Blackburn started the implosion in what was a six-run inning, but Kranick was the pitcher who gave up the crucial go-ahead runs that sealed the loss for the Mets.
Down on the Farm 🌾
CF Drew Gilbert (No. 10 prospect, Triple-A): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B
OF Ryan Clifford (No. 5 prospect, Double-A): 2-for-5, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 1 SB
C Kevin Parada (Double-A): 3-for-5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR
RHP Will Watson (No. 29 prospect, High-A): 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
SS Colin Houck (No. 30 prospect, Low-A): 3-for-5, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 SB
BOX SCORES
Low-A STL | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓️
Match-up: Mets (45-25) vs. Rays (37-32)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: RHP Tylor Megill (5-4, 3.76 ERA) vs. RHP Drew Rasmussen (5-4, 2.22 ERA)
When: 4:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
Notes: Lifting Holmes, Marte’s big night and the (good?) news on Senga… ✍️
The Mets lost a tough one on Friday night thanks to a bullpen implosion and yet more RISP woes.
One of the big talking points to emerge from the game was manager Carlos Mendoza’s decision to pull Clay Holmes from the game, in order to bring in Paul Blackburn.
And that’s where we’re going to start, before touching on a few other key talking points…
Why Carlos Mendoza was right to pull Clay Holmes
As mentioned above, Mendoza has come in for a lot of criticism in the wake of pulling Holmes for Blackburn. That’s despite the fact that Holmes had only thrown 79 pitches, not to mention the fact that he had allowed just one earned run on three hits.
The decision itself blew up in Mendoza’s face with Blackburn being shelled, giving up four earned runs on four hits. That blew a big lead and changed the entire complexion of the game. Mendoza then turned to Max Kranick, who gave up the go-ahead runs, effectively sealing the loss.
However, while the end result wasn’t what Mendoza or the Mets wanted, you shouldn’t attack the thought process or the decision-making. After all, the Mets are perfectly right to manage Holmes carefully given that he’s already hit a career-high in innings pitched (78.1). There was always going to be a load management scenario with Holmes this year, and that will continue to be the case the rest of the way. So, with that in mind, Mendoza or the organization shouldn’t be faulted for making that call.
It was the right one.
It was also the right call to bring in Blackburn. There was both a need and a desire to get the veteran’s feet wet before he re-enters the rotation on Wednesday. That was the smart approach to take. Blackburn needed to get in the game and loosen up before his start next week. However, the righty just didn’t have it, and he’s also not a reliever.
Look, these things happen. It stinks, but even the best-laid plans often go awry. Holmes needed some TLC after feeling sore following his last start, while Blackburn had to see some action before jumping right back in as a starter, and bringing him in with a big lead was the right time to do it. It just transpired that neither Blackburn nor Kranick had it on Friday. You can’t blame Mendoza for that.
It doesn’t mean the actual plan itself was wrong.
Dodging A Bullet
The Mets have seemingly avoided a major, major, major body blow on the Kodai Senga front.
MRI results confirmed that Senga has a Grade 1 hamstring strain, which is the least severe level among such injuries. As a result, Senga will rest for two weeks before being re-evaluated.
Given how bad the injury looked at the time, and given Senga’s injury history, this is probably the best-case scenario. Of course, Senga’s long road back from a shoulder strain last season does give you some pause, especially considering that the ace has a very specific roadmap when it comes to coming back from an injury.
However, it does appear that Senga won’t be out for too long, and that is great news for all concerned. He was putting together a Cy Young caliber year, and he will be needed if the Mets want to make a deep postseason run.
In the meantime, the Mets will look to Blackburn to hold it down in Senga’s absence. Granted, Blackburn did endure a rough outing out of the bullpen on Friday, but overall, he’s a solid arm who should help ensure that the rotation doesn’t suffer too much of a drop-off without Senga.
Marte’s Big Night Wasted
Credit where credit is due.
It seemed not all that long ago that Starling Marte had perhaps come to the end of the road in Queens. The veteran had endured a rough start to the season, and it seemed that he was struggling to adjust to a part-time role with the team.
Well, fast forward to now, and Marte has seemingly turned things around. Since the beginning of May, he’s hitting .323 with two homers, three doubles, eight RBIs, and a .391 on-base percentage.
He was the biggest offensive spark for the Mets on Friday, reaching base a total of four times and driving in a season-high three runs. He’s also putting together some really good at-bats, and it seems as though he’s settled into his new role.
Granted, Marte’s best days are no doubt behind him. But if he can be this kind of hitter moving forward, then that kind of production from a part-time player will be more than valuable. And if Marte can come up with the odd big hit and drive runners home during the postseason, then even better.
It is just a shame the rest of the lineup couldn’t back Marte up. The Mets went a woeful 2-for-16 with RISP, leaving a staggering 12 runners on base. We haven’t talked about this particular fatal flaw in a while given that the Mets have been winning games. But going up against a red-hot Rays team, the inability to come up with a big hit in a clutch moment really cost the Mets, and it will continue to do so against good baseball teams.
The Mets will not have any kind of success in the playoffs unless they can fix their RISP problem. And that’s all there is to say.
Around the League 🚩
3B Casey Schmitt hit a grand slam in the top of the third inning to help the Giants beat the Dodgers, 6-2
OF Aaron Judge hit a late home run but that wasn’t enough as C Carlos Narváez delivered a walk-off single to help the Red Sox beat the Yankees, 2-1
OF Corbin Carroll hit his 20th home run of the year to help the Diamondbacks beat the Padres, 5-1, for their fourth straight win
RHP Luis Severino owns an MLB-best 0.93 ERA on the road after allowing just one run on six hits across 7 2/3 frames in the A’s 6-4 win over the Royals
Clay is a reliever turned starter. It makes sense that you would be careful with him. I think by now we generally should trust how the pitching staff is handled. The problem yesterday was mostly Blackburn. Kranick didn't help too much, but as for secondary problems, the offense also is to blame. They had multiple chances to come back and stopped scoring.
I don't have too much faith in Blackburn. He is an okay starter, but especially if you are being careful with Holmes, you want him as your sixth starter. Now, he's your fifth, and you have to rely on Megill and Canning to stay on course. Who knows what Montas will bring?
Without Senga, you are stretching things a bit too far.
Tough to lose one when you are up 5-1 heading into the 7th. As all things must pass, dig down and start a new streak!