With the starting rotation back at full strength and All-Star festivities now complete, the Mets announced on Thursday that they'll open the second half of their season with Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, and David Peterson taking the mound at home against the Reds this weekend.
The first left-hander on the bump will be Manaea, who made his long-awaited 2025 debut last Sunday in a road loss to the Royals. He entered as a bulk reliever for Holmes in the sixth inning, and completed 3.1 frames before allowing the game-winning run in the ninth. Overall, Manaea gave up five hits and struck out seven across 65 pitches.
Holmes will be tasked with Saturday's middle game, and the Mets are hoping that the reliever-turned-starter can regain some sharpness. While his workload has been closely monitored of late, the veteran right-hander has logged a 5.28 ERA through three July outings. By design, he also hasn't completed six innings of work since June 7.
The series finale on Sunday will belong to Peterson, who entered the All-Star break on a positive note. The veteran southpaw registered seven innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts in the Mets' road win over the Orioles on July 10, and produced 6.2 one-run frames one week prior at home against the Brewers.
The Mets (55-42), who trail the rival Phillies by a half-game for first place in the NL East, are scheduled to host the Angels for a three-game set (July 21-23) after the Reds leave town.
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