WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Mets aren’t getting length from their starting pitchers just yet, but the early results have pleased team officials.
Overall, the Mets entered play Friday with a 2.10 ERA that ranked first in MLB. Much of that success has hinged upon a dominant bullpen, but Mets starting pitchers began the day with a 2.43 ERA, which also ranked first in MLB.
It’s a no-frills unit that perhaps is exceeding expectations, with Clay Holmes, Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning, David Peterson and Kodai Senga carrying the load.
“I think everybody has done really well,” pitching coach Jeremy Hefner told The Post before Canning allowed four runs in 5 ¹/₃ innings in the Mets’ 7-6 win over the A’s on Friday. “We have attacked the strike zone for the most part. We have still got a little bit of work to do there from a first-pitch strike perspective, and walks are up just a little bit, but otherwise, we are getting strikeouts and ground balls.”
Mets starting pitchers’ ground-ball rate of 50.9 percent ranked second in MLB entering Friday.
The rotation’s 10.77 strikeouts per nine innings also ranked second. The walk rate of 4.85 per nine innings by Mets starters was the third-worst in MLB.
It’s the walk rate that partially explains why the Mets have received just 4 ²/₃ innings on average from their starting pitchers.
Such brevity — placing stress on the bullpen — likely isn’t sustainable over the course of a season, but Hefner isn’t concerned about it in April.
At this point, the Mets have been content keeping pitch counts for starters in the high 70s to 80s range.
“I wish we could have mixed in a sixth inning here and there for our starters, but the 4 ²/₃ are tough sometimes because that is going to put more pressure on the bullpen,” Hefner said. “But that is kind of the expectation these first few go-arounds, where normally you might give them those extra batters to push them above 90 [pitches] or closer to 100. But we have won, and we have put the team in a position to win games, and that’s what we are after.”
Hefner noted the dominance the Mets have received from their bullpen — most notably Max Kranick and Huascar Brazoban in extended relief roles — has provided manager Carlos Mendoza with the luxury of utilizing the starters less.
“As the season goes along, we will make the determination when to push farther,” Hefner said. “It could be next time through the rotation, it could be a few more starts down the road, but it just felt like how well our bullpen has been pitching and there was an opportunity to get [starters] out at a lower pitch count with the extra rest, we just felt that was kind of best to both win the game and for health for the starters.”
Holmes, who has become a starting pitcher this season after spending most of his career in the bullpen, impressed Hefner with his 10-strikeout performance in his last start.
Megill has pitched to a 0.63 ERA over three starts, the second-lowest figure in MLB as Friday’s play began.
“I don’t look at ERA too much, but his fastball has returned to form from what we saw early in his career. The slider has been a real weapon,” Hefner said. “He hasn’t had to use the changeup too much, but that is a real weapon for him, as well. I like where he’s at mentally.”
Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas won’t pitch for the Mets before late May as they rehab from injuries, but Hefner doesn’t need to count the days until they return.
“Having Sean and Frankie in the rotation is great,” Hefner said. “But I like our guys, and they are in a good spot. They are a lot of fun to work with, and we have won games.”
