It’s been a weird two games for the Mets. Wednesday the Mets just lacked a spark, allowing five runs in the first two innings and eventually losing 7-2 after scoring two runs late in the game. Thursday the Mets got on the scoreboard early thanks to a Luis Robert Jr. solo shot, but couldn’t pile on. Things fell apart late and the Mets lost 7-1. The vibes were good during the four game winning streak and now the vibes are down again.
It’s the start of the season though, and as quickly as things can look bad, they can turn around in an instant. Hopefully tonight is the night!
Clay Holmes has allowed only two runs over 12 2/3 innings from seven hits and five walks while striking out nine batters. He has an early season 1.42 ERA, 3.94 FIP, 0.947 WHIP and a 261 ERA+. Grounders have been his flex this season. So far he has a 65.7% groundball rate, good for the 95th percentile in baseball and has paired it with a 33.7% chase rate, 74th percentile. The Athletics have the following career numbers against Holmes:
- Lawrence Butler 0-1, K
- Andy Ibáñez 2-4
- Shea Langeliers 1-2, BB
- Jeff McNeil 1-4, K
- Brent Rooker 0-1, K
- Tyler Soderstrom 0-0, BB
- Austin Wynns 0-1, K
The Mets traded J.T. Ginn with Adam Oller to the Athletics for Chris Bassitt in 2022. Bassitt was a workhorse on the Mets, leading them to one of their best regular seasons in franchise history. Ginn would make his major league debut in 2024 and ended up starting 16 games for the Athletics in 2025. Last season he totaled 90 1/3 innings over 23 total games with a 5.08 ERA, 4.62 FIP, 1.392 WHIP and an 85 ERA+. His 2025 debut came against the Mets where he held them to one run over 5 1/3 innings while striking out six in Sacramento. This season he has allowed four runs from six hits and two walks over seven innings spread over two starts. The Mets have the following career numbers against Ginn:
- Brett Baty 1-2
- Francisco Lindor 1-2, BB
- Jorge Polanco 0-2, K
- Luis Robert Jr. 2-3
- Marcus Semien 0-6, BB
- Tyrone Taylor 0-2, 2 K
- Mark Vientos 1-2
Three Things To Watch For:
- The return of Jeff McNeil. Jeff McNeil was drafted by the Mets in 2013 and made his major league debut in 2018, putting up a 3.0 bWAR in his rookie year. He would go on to become a two-time all-star and led the league in hitting one season over eight years with the Mets. The Mets broke apart their old core this off-season, and that included trading Jeff McNeil. He is currently hitting .258/.343/.290 over 35 PA’s with the Athletics this season. Jeff McNeil’s competitive nature was a major hallmark of his Mets career and if anyone is going to get a “bump” of adrenaline facing his old team, it’s probably McNeil.
- Get off to a hot start! Yesterday the Mets got off to a hot start with a solo homer by Luis Robert Jr., and then collectively did nothing. The Mets need a game where they start scoring runs early, and keep scoring runs throughout the game to breakout of their current funk. Ginn has a 6.14 ERA in the first inning. He then settles down until about the 5th inning.
- Pile on the Athletics. The Athletics are currently 24th in the majors with a .645 OPS. For context, the Mets are 12th with a .682 OPS. Last season the Mets were 6th (.753) and the Athletics were 8th (.749). They’re struggling too!
Let’s Go Mets!
