NY Mets rainout creates a starting rotation complication vs. the Yankees

No one can argue the New York Mets needed a day off after getting swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates. What they didn’t need were two consecutive ones and a doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday.

July showers had watering the grass in their best interest over the best intentions for the Mets. Game one was a wash, leaving the Mets to push Clay Holmes back a day, therefore removing him as a possibility to step on the mound in Sunday’s finale versus the New York Yankees. 

Although it was always possible he would have already been skipped over for a spot starter, the rainout now means the Mets will be on a collision course for another roster move. As SNY’s Danny Abriano points out, they can go conservative or go bold.

By the time we get to Sunday, the Mets may have every reason to try someone new in the rotation

The bold names here are Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat. The pair of pitching prospects are having different seasons in Triple-A, McLean with a superior 2.72 ERA versus the 5.43 ERA Sproat has carried through 16 starts. Sproat has notably seen his strikeout numbers fade. A rate of only 6.5 K/9 with walks at 4.6 BB/9, it would seem as if calling him up would throw a struggling arm to the wolves. He has been better of late, but a MLB debut against the Yankees on a Sunday carries extra weight that the team would likely prefer to avoid.

The far easier solution is to give the start to Justin Hagenman or Brandon Waddell. Both have pitched well in a combined 20.2 innings in relief for the Mets. Waddell has been one of the team’s most effective lefties in relief with a 2.45 ERA in 14.2 innings. Hagenman has been used just twice and given up a single run in 6 innings.

An opener followed by one of these two seems like the likeliest of these choices. Sean Manaea had originally been scheduled to pitch what could have been his final rehab outing on Tuesday only for his start to get rained out as well. He would have been lined up perfectly to pitch on Sunday for the Mets. Alas, we Milli Vanilli this wil card solution and blame it on the rain.

The more frightening aspect of this is Paul Blackburn is slated to pitch Friday followed by Frankie Montas on Saturday. Fans have no reason to be confident in either at the moment. It's a holiday weekend but it might not feel it based on who the Mets might deploy.