Clay Holmes takes loss after allowing one run

He allowed just one hit -- a poke from Jose Fermín in the sixth -- and left after hitting 80 pitches while walking Jordan Walker. Holmes is lined up for a nice start in Seattle next week. It looks like he’ll be a useful 12-team starter down the stretch despite the low strikeout rate.

In his first start in nearly three months since suffering a fractured fibula, Holmes allowed six hits, walked two and struck out one in two trips around the Royals order. Jac Caglianone got to him both times, homering in the first and then doubling and scoring in the third. Holmes did at least do a pretty good job of getting most of the rest of the Royals to hit the ball on the ground. He might have another shaky start or two this month, but he’ll probably be somewhat useful in mixed leagues the rest of the way. He’ll face the Cardinals next.

After nearly three months off, Holmes will make his return and his Cubs debut in a start tonight against the Royals.

Chicago manager Craig Counsell confirmed that Holmes will not require any additional minor league rehab starts. The tandem of trade deadline acquisitions will get the ball later this week when the Cubs head to Kansas City for a three-game series that gets underway on Friday.

Holmes shores up Chicago’s starting rotation depth issues, joining veteran Kevin Gausman as the club’s big-time trade deadline moves. The 33-year-old impending free agent is on the cusp of returning to the majors after fracturing his fibula back in mid-May. He’s looked sharp in a pair of recent minor league rehab starts and should be ready to make his Chicago debut later this week.

This is a big one. Chicago came into the trade deadline desperately seeking starting pitching help and they’ve seemingly came away with Holmes in addition to veteran Kevin Gausman. They paid a steep price to land the impending free agent as Rojas is one of their better infield prospects. The emergence of Pedro Ramírez as an everyday option at the highest level seems to be what made him expendable. Holmes looked sharp in a pair of recent minor league rehab outings and should step into Chicago’s new-look rotation by mid-August, if not sooner. Taylor feels like a throw-in, but he’s been sizzling-hot at the dish lately and provides the Cubs with a lefty-mashing bench option for the home stretch.

All of those teams besides the D-backs have already acquired starters in deadline deals, but Holmes comes with the added bonus of potentially being very valuable out of the pen in October if he isn’t needed as a starter. A deal should happen.

Of course they are. Holmes is a command-first pitcher with a deep pitch mix who can attack all quadrants of the strike zone with different speeds and shapes. Oh, and he can eat innings. He’s the perfect fit for the Brewers. Holmes pitched 5 1/3 innings for High-A Brooklyn on Sunday to stay stretched out, and he looks ready to return from the 60-day injured list after fracturing his fibula on a comebacker early this season. If Holmes were to join the Brewers, that would likely push Shane Drohan or Brandon Sproat out of the rotation.

That rehab outing is conditional on whether he’s traded before then. Holmes is presumably ready to jump back into a contending team’s rotation for the final two months. However, that’s only if he’s dealt, which he acknowledged is pretty likely. He also divulged that there haven’t been any contract extension talks with the Mets. The odds seem extremely high that he’s on the move prior to Monday’s deadline, but it’s never a guarantee. The 33-year-old is coming off a fractured fibula that put him on the injured list back in mid-May.

Peralta and Holmes are almost assuredly being dealt this week, and the Cubs are looking to add starting pitching. As Passan notes, the Cubs also have “plenty of bats available” that could interest the Mets, like Matt Shaw and Pedro Ramirez in the big leagues, or Owen Ayers and Jefferson Rojas in the minors. It remains to be seen if the teams can make anything work, but the pieces seem to be there.