The New York Mets got rained out yesterday against the Colorado Rockies, and cynics might argue that’s an improvement over having to watch the team play lately. The Mets have problems all over the field, and the starting rotation is one of them.
Consider the results to date. Newly-acquired Freddy Peralta has been average or slightly better so far, and he can’t get through the sixth inning. Nolan McLean has been brilliant, but he struggles the third time through opposing lineups.
Clay Holmes has been mostly good and is perhaps the most consistent hurler in the group, but David Peterson and Sean Manaea have been demoted to the bullpen and Kodai Senga is seemingly one bad start from ending up there. McLean and Holmes have a combined ERA of 2.90, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, but Senga will go into one start in today’s doubleheader with an ERA of 8.83.
“I think we’ve seen flashes from Kodai,” said GM David Stearns. “We haven’t seen the consistency. So we’re banking on the flashes and continuing to get into the rhythm of the season. But we need some more consistency. There’s no question we need some more consistency.”
The Mets made some moves to sort all this out on Friday, sending Christian Scott back to the minors after his disastrous start against the Minnesota Twins last week. Starter Carl Edwards Jr. was brought up from Triple-A Syracuse to provide another arm in the bullpen and Peterson plan to put Peterson back in the rotation on Wednesday unless they have to use him in long relief before then.
The Mets now have four starters or swingmen in the bullpen, according to DiComo, which is hardly ideal.
“I think it’s worked so far,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “I think we’ve run into games or stretches where having that length out of the ‘pen has become really helpful for us in various capacities. I don’t know how long we can keep it going, but it’s worked so far.”
The reality is that this is a failed gamble that could get worse before it gets better. Stearns relied on improvements in the front of the rotation from Peralta and a slightly more experienced McLean, but the gamble was on Holmes, Manaea and Peterson after all three strugglesd during the Mets second-half collapse last year. This is starting to look like a lost season for the Mets, and the back end of the rotation is one reason why.