PHOENIX -- Clay Holmes came up just short of a quality start, but that didn’t diminish the quality of his appearance.
Holmes threw 103 pitches in the Mets’ 2-1 loss to the Diamondbacks on Saturday – 64 for strikes – but allowed just five hits and two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. The 33-year-old picked up his third loss of the season, but his bottom line didn’t change much at all. The veteran righty now has a 1.86 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP while holding the opposition to a .190 batting average.
Holmes has allowed two or fewer runs in all eight of his starts this year, which is the longest such streak by a starter to start a season in Mets history. Johan Santana (2009) and Nolan Ryan (1971) held the previous mark, which was seven.
The only trouble Holmes ran into came in the bottom of the third after allowing four consecutive baserunners with two outs. Arizona’s Ildemaro Vargas punched a two-run single to left field, which ultimately proved to be all the offense the D-backs needed en route to the win.
Brett Baty opened the game’s scoring with a two-out double in the top of the second, blasting a 91 mph cutter to right-center field that scored Marcus Semien from first. It was just his first RBI, and second double, since going 2-for-4 with two RBIs against the Rockies on April 24.
Merrill Kelly stymied the Mets after that, allowing just one hit after that – a fifth-inning double to Tyrone Taylor.
New York wraps up its nine-game road trip on Sunday at Chase Field, returning home to host the Tigers on Tuesday.