The New York Mets are mixing up their pitching strategy for Sunday’s series finale against the Washington Nationals, and it might hint at their MLB postseason approach. Sean Manaea takes the mound first, with Clay Holmes ready to jump in from the bullpen right after. That’s a flip from their last piggyback pairing on Tuesday, when Holmes opened against the San Diego Padres and Manaea closed it out.
Holmes brings a closer’s vibe to the mix. The 32-year-old right-hander spent years locking down games in relief, racking up 307 appearances over eight MLB seasons, including two All-Star nods with the Yankees. But the Mets signed him to a three-year, $38 million deal in free agency to stretch him into a starter. This year, he hit a personal best with 155 innings across 30 starts—85 more than his previous high of 70 back in 2021 with the Pirates and Yankees.
Manaea, on the other hand, thrives as a starter. The 33-year-old lefty has just 32 relief outings in 240 career games over a decade in the majors. After a strong 2024 season where he went 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA in 32 starts for the Mets, they re-signed him to a three-year, $75 million contract. He missed the first half of this year with an oblique injury but has bounced back strong.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza explained the decision before their recent 5-3, 11-inning loss to the Nationals at Citi Field. “It helps that they’ve done this before,” Mendoza said. “They both want to start—we see them as starters. But given where we are right now, they’re all on board. They get the different routine for bullpen work, and since they’ve handled it in the past, it makes things easier.”
In that Tuesday win over the Padres—an 8-3 victory—Holmes tossed four innings and allowed two runs, while Manaea pitched the final five, giving up just one earned run.
Mendoza pointed to the Nationals’ lineup as a key reason for the switch. It packs left-handed hitters like James Wood, CJ Abrams, Daylen Lile, and Luis García Jr. at the top. For Sunday, he kept it flexible: “It’ll depend on the game flow, the lineup we face, how the pitcher’s throwing, and the score. Manaea starts, and we’ll figure out Holmes based on how it goes.”
The Mets’ rotation has leaned on fresh faces lately, with rookies Nolan McLean starting Saturday, plus Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong filling key spots. All-Star lefty David Peterson has hit a rough patch, posting a 10.90 ERA in his last four outings. And former ace Kodai Senga keeps struggling since his demotion to Triple-A Syracuse—he’s not a lock for the postseason roster, though he’ll throw live batting practice this week to build back.
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