Pirates reliever Clay Holmes finds confidence in pitch repertoire, scoreless streak

When Garth Brooks spent two weeks in spring training with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019, Jameson Taillon teased the country music star for taking live batting practice against Clay Holmes.

It’s not just that Holmes strikes an imposing presence on the mound but that the right-hander has nasty stuff. The implication was, sometimes, no one — not even Holmes — knew where it was going.

“That’s probably the last guy I’m getting in there on, stuff-wise,” Taillon said. “He’s 6-6, throwing a bowling ball 97 with a hammer curveball.”

Control, consistency and confidence were issues for Holmes until this season, when he has become one of the most reliable relievers for the Pirates. Holmes took a streak of 13 straight scoreless appearances, including a clean 12th inning in Saturday’s 8-7 walk-off win over the Miami Marlins, into Tuesday’s series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Holmes hasn’t allowed a run since April 30, a 12-inning stretch in which he has given up 10 hits and four walks while striking out 11 and holding hitters to a .217 batting average. Holmes has allowed only one run in his past 20 appearances and is at his best at PNC Park, where he has allowed only one earned run in 14 appearances this season.

Showing consistent control has helped Holmes increase his confidence.

Or maybe it’s the other way around.

“Consistency has kind of been a big thing for me so far,” Holmes said. “One thing is the confidence and belief that I’m pitching with right now. I think that comes from probably a few things in the process that’s got me to this point. Knowing what makes me good and how I can be good, and just doing those things.”

That’s been a process for Holmes, who missed most of the 2020 season with injuries. He suffered a fractured right fibula on a Nelson Cruz comebacker in spring training, then developed a forearm strain after pitching only 1 1/3 innings last July.

After being designated for assignment and off the 40-man roster, Holmes spent the offseason working on himself. He visited the American Sports Medicine Institute for an assessment and revisited a conversation he had during a car ride in Philadelphia with former Pirates reliever Jared Hughes about his pitch repertoire and sequencing.

“He honestly knew more about my sinker and some pitch characteristics than I did,” Holmes said. “I was asking myself these questions, and it kind of sparked something in me. I really wanted to dive deeper into this because his best pitches he knew what they were, but he was still searching for how to go from just knowing to kind of creating that consistency over and over.”

Since then, Holmes looks at his pitches after every outing so he better understands what movement profile is his best, comparing what felt good to what actually worked against hitters.

“The more you can connect those dots of what you’re feeling and what was actually good, you can kind of keep chasing that over and over,” Holmes said. “It’s kind of created a consistency of knowing what I’m looking for, knowing what I’m trying to do, finding the best thought pattern, whatever it may be, whatever I’m trying to do with my body to create that feeling over and over and over.”

After signing a minor league contract, Holmes set out to earn his way back onto the major league roster with a strong spring. In 25 Grapefruit League appearances, Holmes went 2-0 with a 2.73 ERA and 1.10 WHIP, recording 25 strikeouts against eight walks (with three hit batters).

That success earned didn’t immediately translate to the regular season. In his first 12 appearances, Holmes had a 5.02 ERA. But through studying his own advanced analytics with pitching coach Oscar Marin and bullpen coach Justin Meccage, Holmes has reduced his curveball usage and relies more on pairing his sinker (45.5%) and slider (31.5%).

“With Clay, he’s one pitch away from getting out of any jam because of the power sinker,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “And it’s something that we’ve continued to talk to him about is, don’t let a walk or a hit or anything affect what happens next because (of) the ability to put ball on the ground. There are not a lot of guys who throw it 96-98 with heavy sink. There’s a weapon to get you out of trouble when you have to, and he’s done a really good job of executing it.”

Where Holmes once leaned on his hammer curve, the slider has become a preferred secondary pitch because of his ability to tunnel it with his sinker. His ability to consistently show the same release point has helped disguise the pitches and keep hitters guessing.

“With that, the filth of the slider has come a long ways,” Holmes said. “It’s a pitch I feel very confident in. I like the movement profile, like the ability to get back into counts and throw for strikes, generate swing and miss when I need to. It’s been a pitch that’s huge for me. It takes a lot of pressure off the curveball and the sinker. I think that pitch is something that I’ve leaned on and it’s been a good pitch so far.”

And Holmes has been a good pitcher. That wasn’t always the case. In 2019, when Holmes pitched 50 innings in 35 appearances, he had a 5.58 ERA and 1.620 WHIP and averaged 6.5 walks per nine innings. In 26 1/3 innings over 25 appearances this season, he’s 2-0 with a 2.73 ERA and 1.10 WHIP while walking 2.7 batters per nine.

“I think the best way to put it for me is these things create a confidence and a belief in what you’re doing, that you can trust what you’re doing,” Holmes said. “I think with that, you become less anxious, maybe, is the word. You know where you’re at. There’s still always room for improvement, but you just kind of have that belief that even on your worst days, you’re still good enough to get people out. On your best days, you’re looking to dominate.”

That’s the kind of confidence — and pitching — the Pirates long have hoped to have from Holmes.