Photo by Michael G. Baron of SNY.

Updated by Mitch Petanick on May 17, 2013

Adam Rubin has reported that Zack Wheeler is scheduled to start throwing again today, and is back with the team in Las Vegas. He was placed on the seven day DL, retroactive to his last start. He will rejoin the rotation next Wednesday when the team is in Iowa.

Wheeler received a cortisone shot last Wednesday after being diagnosed with inflammation of the AC joint in his throwing shoulder. He is still expected to only miss one start, which would have been on Saturday of this week.

Updated by Joe D. on May 15, 2013

Zack Wheeler has been diagnosed with slight inflammation in the AC joint in his shoulder, and will miss one start, according to Assistant GM John Ricco.

Wheeler received a cortisone shot at the Hospital for Special Surgery in his right shoulder and is flying to rejoin his team at Triple-A Las Vegas.

We spoke to his agent a few minutes ago who said there is no structural damage and that he is in good spirits.

That said, until I see Wheeler back on the mound pitching again, I will remain concerned.

It’s just the Mets fan in me.  :-)

Get back on that mound soon, Zack…

Original Post May 14, 2013

Zack Wheeler has a sore right clavicle, and will fly to New York to be examined by team doctors tomorrow at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan.

“I think we’re being a little conservative,” assistant GM John Ricco told reporters about the Mets top prospect. Wheeler had already met with the team doctor in Las Vegas.

That said, Ricco added that Wheeler will not make his scheduled start on Saturday in Omaha.

Mike Puma of the New York Post reports that Wheeler will undergo an MRI exam on his collarbone while in New York.

Terry Collins commented on this and said:

“From what I’ve heard today, it doesn’t sound serious. But any time you miss a start, it’s for the best interest of the player. We’ll wait to hear the doctor’s report and go from there. If it’s only one start, that’s certainly something we can handle easily.”

After a rough start to the season. Wheeler made a mechanical adjustment and has had incredible success over his last three starts for Triple-A Las Vegas and walked only three while posting a 1.35 ERA.

Overall, the right-hander is 2-1 with a 3.74 ERA for the season with 18 walks and 47 strikeouts in 43.1 innings pitched.

While the team calls this precautionary and conservative, any kind of soreness in the surrounding shoulder area should be a cause for some concern.

Thoughts From Mitch Petanick:

I’m hoping for the best here, but preparing for the worst. What I am worried most about is the fact that Zack Wheeler pitches using a delivery called the “Inverted W,” which could put added stress on the anterior labrum ligament in the shoulder — it slowly loosens the ligament and can actually lead to tears. Some pitchers use this delivery and go through their careers injury free, but many of them suffer injuries that require surgery…like John Smoltz and Stephen Strasburg.

Wheeler also recently tweaked his mechanics, which is what his improved control is accredited to, but could that mechanical fix in addition with the Inverted W delivery been enough to cause this shoulder discomfort? I guess we will find out after his MRI, but even precautionary MRIs are a cause for concern.

The Inverted W is like playing with fire…you can get burned.

Thoughts from Matt Musico:

KEEP YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER!

Team News and Notes

Atlanta Braves (17-9)

Justin Upton launched his major league leading 12th home run of the season this week. He hit just 17 a year ago, and is currently on pace to shatter his career high of 31 back in 2011. The same can’t be said for his brother B.J. Upton, who has just three home runs, and is hitting a paltry .143 on the season. Freddie Freeman has not made much of an impact since returning from the DL eight games ago, as the first baseman has just one extra base hit during that span. The great start to the season by Paul Maholm came to an abrupt end in his last start. The lefty took his minuscule 1.03 ERA into Detroit, and was battered around to the tune of eight earned runs, and left with a 3.30 ERA. Tim Hudson earned the 200th win of his career on Tuesday, as he pitched a gem against the Nationals. Hudson continues to pitch well despite being 37-years of age, and owns a career record of 200-105.

Washington Nationals (13-14)

How scary is Bryce Harper? Harper hit 22 home runs in his rookie season, and is already almost half way there with nine, and we are only one month into the season. The 20-year-old has been on a tear of late, hitting .353, with four home runs, seven RBI, four doubles, and a triple over his last 11 games. Harper leads the team with a .344 batting average. The Nationals had an injury scare with Stephen Strasburg, and pulled him early from his last start due to forearm tightness. The big guy says he will make his next start, but the Nats might take precautions and skip a start. The Nationals who were expected to be a powerhouse team, continue to struggle, and are under .500 after one month of the season.

Philadelphia Phillies (12-15)

The Phillies starting catcher Carlos Ruiz returned to the lineup on Sunday after missing 25 games due to an amphetamine suspension. The Phillies backstop had a great year in 2012, hitting .325 with 16 home runs and 68 RBI. Delmon Young was activated from the DL on Tuesday, and had two hits including a home run in his season debut. Ryan Howard has been heating up of late, and is showing flashes of his old self. Over his last eight games, the lefty slugger has a .300/.290/.633 slash, with two home runs, 10 RBI, and four doubles. Kyle Kendrick is quietly having one of the best seasons on the Phillies pitching staff. He recently completed a three-hit shut out against the Mets, and owns a tidy 2.41 ERA through five starts to begin the year. Roy Halladay was rolling until he ran into Cleveland on Tuesday, and lasted just 3.2 innings, giving up eight earned runs. I was going to say that he was almost all the way back this week, but apparently he’s not.

Miami Marlins (8-19)

Marlins stud outfielder Giancarlo Stanton was beginning to come around, as he finally tallied his first home run of the season this past week. Stanton was red hot before he strained his hamstring on Monday, as he finally turned the power on hitting three jacks, while also driving in eight runs.  The rest of the Marlins remain in a coma offensively, ranking at the bottom of the majors in home runs, runs, and RBI. Jose Fernandez hasn’t made it into the fifth inning in two of his last three starts, while Kevin Slowey leads the team with a 2.15 ERA and 1.01 WHIP.

Injury Report

Nationals: Stephen Strasburg might miss his next start, after being pulled from his most recent outing with forearm tightness. Ryan Zimmerman is ready to play in rehab games, and after a few tune ups this week, he should be activated from the DL on Friday. Jayson Werth was out of the lineup on Tuesday, as he is dealing with hamstring and ankle ailments. Wilson Ramos was activated from the DL on April 29. Reliever Christian Garcia remains on the DL with partial tear in his forearm.

Braves: Jason Heyward who was placed on the DL after having an appendectomy on last Monda, is hoping for a late-May return. Brian McCann (offseason shoulder surgery) began a rehab assignment on Friday, and is all goes well will be activated on May 6.. Jonny Venters (elbow) will begin throwing on Tuesday. Brandon Beachy (Tommy John surgery) is still recovering and could return by midseason.

Phillies: Delmon Young made his return to the lineup a little earlier than expected, as he was activated on April 30. John Lanna remains on the DL, and could miss 6-8 weeks due to a strained quad.

Marlins:  Giancarlo Stanton was placed on the DL with a grade 2 strain of his hamstring, which should sideline him a minimum of three weeks. Joe Mahoney was also placed on the DL with a hamstring injury. Adeiny Hechavarria was placed on the DL with a bruised elbow, is ready to begin rehab games. Casey Kotchman who is on the DL with a strained hamstring may return by mid-May. Logan Morrison is recovering from a torn patella tendon that required surgery last September, is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment on May 10. Henderson Alvarez is throwing and could return by early May, while Nathan Eovaldi remains out indefinitely, and was transferred to the 60-day DL.

Upcoming Schedules (4/29-5/5) 

Nationals: (ATL, 4/29-5/2), (@PIT, 5/3-5/5)

Braves: (WSH, 4/29-5/2), (NYM, 5/3-5/5)

Phillies: (@CLE, 4/30-5/31), (MIA, 5/2-5/5)

Marlins: (@MIN, 4/29-5/1) (@PHI, 5/2-5/5)

DAVID WRIGHT, 3B

MMO PLAYER OF THE WEEK

David Wright is officially rolling, and despite the lack of production and support around him, he continues to produce and be the leader of this team. Wright batted .300/.400/.350, with six hits, a double, a sacrifice fly, five RBI, and a stolen base as he helped lead the Mets offensive attack last week.

Wright reached base in all six games the Mets played this past week, with six hits and four walks. Taking it a step further, the 30-year-old has reached base safely in 21 of the Mets 23 games this season.

Terry Collins shook up the lineup this week and moved Wright into the cleanup spot for a few games, before moving him back into the three-hole. The third baseman has not yet begun to show much in the way of power, having just two long balls on the season. However, he continues to hit and drive in runs seemingly on a nightly basis. To date, the Mets captain is batting .309/.436/.506, with two home runs, four doubles, three triples, and 19 RBI. He has an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio of 15:19, and has already swiped six bases.

Right now, Wright is doing the best he can with the pitches he is seeing. There is no real fear of any of the hitters behind him, so pitchers can be careful how they pitch him. They are fine with giving him a free pass, or having him slap a single to left or center. With John Buck cooling off a bit, and Lucas Duda and Ike Davis yet to provide the protection Wright needs, he will continue to see limited pitches that he can drive.

Honorable Mentions

Matt Harvey

Harvey had his worst start of the season, and it wasn’t even that bad. The big righty gave up three earned runs over six innings of work, while striking out seven. Harvey makes two starts this coming week, and if he keeps rolling like this, I will be hard pressed to not hand him his second MMO player of the week honor.

Ruben Tejada

The young shortstop began to pick things up with his bat this week. Tejada had a .300/.417/.450 slash, including three doubles, an RBI, and scored four runs. Tejada returned to the top of the order this week, which is where he spent almost all of last season. The move paid immediate dividends, as Tejada is currently riding a five game hitting streak, and seemed to return to his old self at the plate. Tejada is batting a measly .163 in the eighth spot in the order, while he is hitting a combined .341 when he bats first, second or seventh.

Jeremy Hefner

Hefner may not have many quality starts as the season goes along, but he pitched a gem in his last outing. Hefner went seven innings, gave up just three hits, one earned run, and struck out four batters. The righty did not receive the victory, and remains winless on the year. I hope that the 27-year-old has more starts like that to offer this season.

Jordany Valdespin

Valdespin has a flare for the dramatics, and his walk off grand slam was a great moment early in this season. Spin makes the honorable mention list mainly because the big hit, but aside from that, he did not do much else during the week. The 25-year-old batted just .167, with five RBI, a double, and the game winning grand salami against the Dodgers.

Player Of The Week Scoreboard

1. David Wright – 2

2. John Buck - 1

2. Matt Harvey - 1

Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog.com profiled pitching prospect Zack Wheeler in his latest installment of the Mets Minor League Report on Friday. I wanted to address the many problems I found with his analysis and conclusions.

Before I go there, let’s take a quick look at where Zack Wheeler is right now.

Currently, the young right-hander is 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA and 1.76 WHIP over five starts. He has allowed 15 earned runs on 26 hits and 15 walks while striking out 28 in 23.1 innings pitched.

Readers of MMO know fully well what I’ve been saying about Wheeler from day one. I’ve often raised my concerns and what I try to do is look at all our prospects not as Mets prospects, but just as a prospect.

That’s how we’ve always done things here and we try to be as objective in our analysis as we can, and often bring in the opinions of outside experts, executives and scouts. Oftentimes it means you won’t get that 100% fanboy nonsense, but what you do get is a true picture of whomever we analyze.

Our minor league staff comes packed with experience and includes points of views from those who have gotten a real taste of playing, coaching, instructing, injury experts, and scouting. It took 9 years to build this impressive team we have at MMO.

Now lets go to Matt Cerrone’s analysis…

My first issue with him is this:

“I talked to a talent evaluator who has watched Wheeler this season, and he says he’s pitching well, and his advanced stats prove it, but he’s clearly suffering from the hitter-friendly environment in Las Vegas.”

This talent evaluator of his is completely out of his mind for saying what he did.

He is dead wrong, along with Cerrone’s conclusion, that he’s suffering from the effects of pitching in the PCL.

It is complete nonsense and there’s nothing analytic about any of it. It’s simply an uneducated and unqualified statement to make in light of how he compares with the rest of the league.

The facts are that there is not one advanced metric that proves Wheeler is pitching well. None. Let Cerrone come here and elaborate on these so called great advanced metrics.

What the uninformed folks at SNY are doing is trying to present themselves as prospect analysts when they are clearly not.

If the effects of the PCL are as dramatic as they claim, than why is Wheeler one of only five starting pitchers in the entire league suffering from it?

Currently, among all qualified pitchers with four or more starts in the PCL, Zack Wheeler ranks 48th in ERA and 49th in WHIP. There are about 45 pitchers in the PCL who are out-performing Zack Wheeler including his own teammate Collin McHugh, who ranks sixth in the PCL with a 1.67 ERA.

If you look at the PCL leaders in ERA you will find four other top pitching prospects who along with Wheeler were also among Baseball America’s Top 100. They are all having great seasons with an average ERA of 3.39.

Cerrone mentions solid mechanics which is a phrase that should never be used in the same sentence as Zack Wheeler. NEVER.

You see, Wheeler pitches with what’s called an “Inverted W”. Basically, it’s a flawed delivery that puts an enormous amount of stress on the ulnar collateral ligament. This happens because as he delivers his pitch, the velocity that is built up, and the strain of it all, is not equally distributed between his knee, leg, shoulder and elbow. As Wheeler moves forward, the lower half of his body and his foot is already planted while his arm is still fully extended and behind him thereby putting all of the strain of his ferocious delivery on the the smallest of all the ligaments involved – the UCL. The science backs that up.

There are quite a few pitchers who have pitched with an Inverted W and didn’t end up having Tommy John Surgery, but what makes Wheeler such a high risk is that he is hard thrower with a 99 mph fastball. It’s these hard throwers who are most at risk. Stephen Strasburg was one such hard thrower who blew out his UCL because of the Inverted W in his delivery. And his Inverted W was not even as pronounced as Wheeler’s.

After Zack Wheeler was drafted, the San Francisco Giants moved quickly to alter Wheeler’s delivery to avoid this ticking time bomb. They knew it would ultimately lead to a weakened elbow ligament, loss of command, and a future trip to see Dr. Andrews. However, in the midst of this change in Wheelers delivery, they opted instead to just trade him to the Mets. It was then learned from someone I spoke to last year, that Wheeler resisted the change in his delivery and was only too glad when Mets trainers told him to go back to his regular delivery.

One red flag that you frequently see from a power pitcher with an Inverted W is a gradual loss of command. That is because the UCL is what stabilizes the entire structure of the elbow. The weaker it gets, the more difficult it becomes to command your pitches – especially the fastball.

Cerrone talks about improved command and I have to wonder if he’s been watching Wheeler’s starts at all this season. He’s now sporting the highest walk rate of his professional career and that has nothing at all to do with humidity.

Cerrone asks, “why let him develop bad habits in a ballpark that is not indicative of the rest of reality?”

He then proceeds to answer the question and writes:

“I understand the arbitration and free agent, clock issues, etc., I get it, but I think this kid has to be promoted the minute the team feels it is viable. He’s closing in on 200 upper-level innings. It’s time. Let’s go.”

My God, what is he talking about?

Even Terry Collins on Thursday expressed his concerns saying, “What worries me the most is that he’s not pounding the strike zone. We’ve got to have some strikes out of him because his stuff is going to play.”

Collins is right. Nobody doubts Wheeler has three to four plus pitches. His stuff is extraordinary. But you have to have command of those pitches – you have to throw strikes. You can’t have a 100 pitch count every time out by the sixth inning or even the fifth because of all the pitches out of the zone. Too many deep counts, too many hitter’s counts, and none of it has anything to do with park effects. This is all on him.

Promoting Wheeler to the major leagues now is an awful idea. It’s a terrible idea. Wheeler needs to execute and exhibit better command. This notion that a MLB callup will remedy that is both preposterous and irrational.

So my issues with all of Cerrone’s analysis are this:

1. It’s The Humidity. WRONG

2. Sound Mechanics. WRONG

3. Improved Command. WRONG

4. Bring Him Up Anyway. WRONG.

I did leave Matt a comment on his post yesterday, and had hoped he would reply. he didn’t so I took to writing my rebuttal here. This is what I initially left him:

The Giants were actually trying to alter Wheeler’s mechanics for fear of the inverted W leading to TJS. It was during this transition that he was traded and the Mets opted to let him resume pitching with the inverted W.

As you know it puts more stress on the elbow and shoulder because his lower body and plant foot are way ahead of his arm and release.

It’s even more dangerous for hard throwers as pointed out with Strasburg.

I thought it was curious that the Mets decided to let him proceed along this path and questioned the wisdom of it at the time. It’s a ticking time bomb.

Sound mechanics and Zack Wheeler should never be in the same sentence. The fact that his release is so late is also why he has no idea where the ball will end up and part of his command issues. It’s a scientific fact based on all the momentum and velocity that is built up not being evenly distributed as it should be.

We have a great prospect with 3 and maybe 4 plus pitches, but right now he’s a thrower and not a pitcher.

Finally, the thin air is a terrible excuse and even more so when that’s your basis for a promotion to the majors.

That is faulty logic and irrational thinking, Wheeler is obviously far from ready and it has nothing to do with humidity as this report points out.

Among all starters with four or more starts in the PCL, Wheeler ranks 48th in ERA and 47th in WHIP.

Wheeler is not ready, and I think what we see here is the fan in Cerrone speaking and not anything resembling true player analysis.

I think it’s time for the Mets to fix Wheeler’s command issues and move forward with the plan the Giants initially had in place, and that the Nationals put in place when Strasburg came back from Tommy John Surgery. I think the Giants know what they’re doing when it comes to developing pitchers. Wheeler hasn’t developed and he is regressing, and that’s a fact I know most of you will choose to ignore because nobody wants to hear that about any Met prospect. So if you want fairy tales stick with Mets Blog, but if you opt for real minor league analysis, you’re at the right place.

This talk of bringing him up and the incessant over-coverage of Wheeler on SNY broadcasts, features, videos, and minor league reports, all calling for his promotion has really got to stop.

I want to leave on one bright note and that is that in Zack Wheeler we have the potential for a truly great pitcher that could be just as good as Matt Harvey is now. Zack Wheeler has the arsenal to become an ace one day, but only if the Mets do this right.

I think the inverted W is a huge concern, but not one that can’t be remedied with a slight mechanical fix. All we can do as fans is hope for the best, but please don’t buy into this amateurish SNY message that Wheeler is ready for a promotion. He’s not. No pitcher with numbers like that should ever be promoted no matter what league he’s pitching in.

Thoughts from Mitch Petanick

Everyone loves Zack Wheeler’s stuff. If it were based on his stuff alone, he would be in the top 10 percent of pitchers in the big leagues today. His stuff is that good. But there is more to pitching than having good stuff. Joe brings up very valid points regarding Wheeler.

With regards to his mechanics, the inverted W raises concern. The inverted W generally causes additional strain on the arm, because the pitcher’s lead foot will land early, causing the pitcher to have to speed up his arm to catch up to his lower body.

The Mets have said that even though he uses the inverted W, Wheeler doesn’t have the issue of his foot landing early. This may be the case right now, but all it takes is one pitch where his foot lands too early to cause potential damage. I think this is a bigger issue than most are leading it on to be, especially with your top pitching prospect.

The issue I have with Wheeler’s command is hitting batters, although through five games it hasn’t been a big concern this season. We know that Wheeler likes pitching inside to right-handed hitters and his two seam fastball has ridiculous inward movement to right-handed hitters. He still hasn’t learned to use this pitch effectively, because if he did, he wouldn’t have so many hit batters. Wheeler should start that two-seamer on the middle of the plate, and have it move in on the hands, either jamming hitters or breaking bats. Wheeler starts that pitch too far inside, which leads to hitting batters.

He’s not bored, and what happened with Matt Harvey last year was an exception to the rule. It’s not the air in Las Vegas either, other pitchers seem to be having success. This is all on Wheeler. Time to stop making excuses. The kid has dynamite stuff, but hasn’t mastered the art of pitching. Once he does, the Mets will have something special.

When logging onto the Mets’ website there was an advertisement plugging Harvey T-Shirts. And, all of this is for a guy who was starting just his 15^th major league game.

I am waiting for the Mets to put him on a banner outside the stadium, joining the likes of Keith Hernandez and David Wright; Ed Kranepool and Bud Harrelson; Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack.

Make no mistake, Harvey is a good Met, but not yet a great one. There is plenty of time for him to reach that distinction.

“I don’t get caught up in the marketing angle,’’ manager Terry Collins said when asked if this is too much, too soon, much the way it was last winter for the Knicks and Lin-sanity.

“I don’t thing he gets caught up in it, either. Let’s ride the wave. This guy is ready.’’

He might have been ready last night, but clearly was not sharp against the Los Angeles Dodgers despite the relaxed definition of a quality start. The no-decision indicates Harvey still has growing to do, but does not diminish what he’s already achieved.

“I didn’t like it,’’ Harvey said of his performance in Wednesday night’s 7-3, 10-inning victory. “Tonight was about winning, and we did that. … I have work to do.’’

That humility is why the Mets believe they have something special. Technically, it was a quality start – three runs given up in six innings – but Harvey knows he has to do better than 90 pitches. He knows that many pitches should get him to, if not through, the eighth inning.

History is full of powerful young arms that captured the imagination of not only their fan base, but also those across the nation. Look at Tom Seaver, Vida Blue, Mark Fydrych, Fernando Valenzuela, Ron Guidry, Dwight Gooden and Stephen Strasburg.

The Mets are banking on Harvey to join this prestigious list. Last night won’t remove him from consideration and won’t stop the rumblings of him possibly starting the All-Star Game at Citi Field in July.

The Mets are riding the Harvey wave, but there is an underlying fear is the attention could be too much this early. The expectations of Harvey increase with each start, of which last night’s was nationally telecast by ESPN.

It has been a long time since the Mets had a pitcher of Harvey’s marketability. Gooden perhaps nearly 30 years ago? Or Seaver? No other homegrown Met arm comes immediately to mind.

Gooden was such a long time ago, so you can’t blame the organization for being excited about having somebody this charismatic to promote. As much as Collins raves about Harvey’s demeanor and composure, a case can be made for going overboard. All this attention is a lot to absorb.

The Mets made sure to handle Harvey with kid gloves before bringing him up, so why push things now?

Let him concentrate on pitching first and not being a rock star.

Thoughts from Joe D.

He is a rock star!

But please no pies to his face from John Buck…

Wright celebrates after one of his two home runs

DAVID WRIGHT, 3B

MMO PLAYER OF THE WEEK

David Wright finally took flight for the 2013 season this past week, as he lifted off with two home runs in Colorado. The Mets captain had been hitting well to start the year, but was not producing much in the way of power until he entered the thin Colorado air.

Wright batted .350/.519/.850, with two triples, two home runs, and five RBI as he helped lead the Mets offensive attack. He didn’t just drive in runs, as he scored five runs himself, accounting for a total of 10 runs during the week.

Wright got on base a total of 14 times in his 27 plate appearances, with seven hits and seven walks, which equated to his .519 OBP. Another promising sign that jumped out at me the most, was the fact that he did not have one strikeout all week. When David is locked in, he makes steady contact. With some of the strikeout issues he has had in recent years, it was nice to see him square the ball up and have such a good eye at the plate.

I am excited to see Wright get off to a good start this season. Sometimes players sign a big contract and struggle to live up to it, but that does not appear to be the case with the Mets third baseman.

The 30-year-old has just 10 strikeouts in 76 at-bats, and has walked 15 times in 17 games. Wright already has 14 RBI, and may be on his way to his sixth 100 RBI season. As the Mets team captain, Wright will look to be a rock in the three-hole and lead by example for his young teammates.

Honorable Mentions

Matt Harvey

Harvey matched up against Stephen Strasburg on Friday, and was the better pitcher in the highly anticipated pitching duel. The big righty went seven innings, gave up just four hits and one earned run, while striking out seven in his victory over the Nationals and Strasburg. Harvey was so impressive, chants of “Harvey’s better!” from the Mets faithful filled the air at Citi Field. Harvey has won all four of his starts as he continues his domination to begin the 2013 season.

Lucas Duda

Duda flexed his muscles this week cranking two more home runs, giving him five on the season. Duda continued to get on base at a high rate, walking six more times, and now owns a 1:1 (15 K, 15 BB) strikeout-to-walk ratio for the year. Duda batted .308/.526/.769 for the week.

Player Of The Week Scoreboard

W1. John Buck - 1

W2. Matt Harvey - 1

W3. David Wright – 1

Matt Harvey has been compared to some of the biggest names of the game both past and present. Whether it’s because of his lethal arsenal, his no-nonsense demeanor on the mound, or just his determination to keep getting better. In 14 starts he is breaking down long-standing records with such ease.

While expectations and pressure like that would crush most young players, Matt Harvey thrives on it. I was especially taken by his reaction on Friday night when fans at Citi Field roared with the chants of “Har-Vey’s Better! Har-Vey’s Better” with every pitch Stephen Strasburg threw.

It was amazing to watch both pitcher’s reactions as the SNY camera crew went to a split screen. There was Harvey sitting on the bench – looking all business and wiping his face with a towel. He was immune to what was happening on the field and didn’t allow himself to be captured by the moment. On the mound however, you could tell Strasburg was being rattled.

Pressure and expectations is a crazy thing. For many players it’s their death knell, but not for Harvey. This kid has ice running through his veins.

There’s more to Harvey than meets the eye and it may take years until we figure out what makes him tick. Baseball has always been a game of comparisons, but most often the comparisons are unfounded and the expectations are never met. So far, it looks like Harvey will be the exception to that rule. Gregg Jefferies never did become the next Ty Cobb, and the teenage hitting machine Fernando Martinez never did become the next Roberto Clemente.

“A lot of guys can throw 98,’’ manager Terry Collins said. “I like his competitive make-up. … Fear of failure is not in Matt Harvey’s make-up.’’

You know what else stood out from Friday night? Harvey’s comments after the game.

“I’ve got a long way to go,’’ Harvey said. “I appreciate the fans and the support and all that. But we’re here to win. We’re the New York Mets. It’s not just one guy out there. Every time I take the ball I’m trying to win for the team.”

Spoken like a true leader…

And for those of you who keep saying you want to see how Harvey would react in a tough situation, how does the the bases loaded with nobody out against the team who won more games than any other team last season sound? Is that challenging enough for you?

Harvey worked out of the jam with ease. “That’s a tough lineup, he said. “At any point it felt like it could unravel and things could have gone the other way.’’

However it didn’t unravel. Harvey bore down like a warrior and slammed the door on their offense. ”That’s the mark of an ace right there,’’ Collins said. “That’s why we can’t say enough things about him. Games like this can lead to a great season.”

Can you believe that there are still some Mets fan who haven’t bought into Harvey yet? It’s true. I’ve seen the doubts and speculation right here on our comment threads. They remain cautiously optimistic waiting for the bubble to burst. It’s hard to believe that 14 starts or basically a half season, and non-believers still abound.

I’m seeing some of the best raves and optimism about Harvey from non-Mets and rival fans. One Yankee fan told Me, “I can’t believe you got, Harvey. You’re so freaking lucky.”

David Price and Curt Schilling are also on the Matt Harvey bandwagon. So are Michael Kay and Mike Francesa. So are Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman. So are R.A. Dickey, Jon Lester and Justin Verlander.

So am I and most of MMO. I actually have been since day one.

I’ve seen a meteoric rise like one this twice before as Met fan. The first time was with with “The Franchise” Tom Seaver, and then two decades later I saw it again with “Doctor K’ Dwight Gooden. I became emotionally invested from day with those two Mets icons too, just like I am now with Harvey. As a Met fan, I always did take “Ya Gotta Believe” very seriously. Times have changed, but I’m still old-fashioned that way.

Baseball is such a great sport. There is something for everyone, offense, defense, strategy, statistics, history and pitching. I’ll take a well pitched game over a slugfest any day. When you look at the Washington Nationals starting rotation, you just got to love what you see: Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez (one of my favorites), Jordan Zimmermann, and Dan Haren. This is a team with the potential go on a super long winning streak. Looking at this series, we knew Friday night’s Stephen Strasburg vs. Matt Harvey game was going to memorable, then looking at Saturday & Sunday, the Nats had the edge in the pitching match-up. But the Mets were better, taking two of three which is why you have to play the games. Nobody ever wins anything on paper. Here are the 3 & 3 from the series.

Matt-tastic: On Friday night Matt Harvey was yet again spot on, raising his record to 4-0. Harvey gave up one run, and struck out seven, in 7.0 innings of work, besting Stephen Strasburg. The atmosphere at Citi Field was electric on Friday with the fans chanting “Harvey’s Better!” You got to love it. I said it before and it bears repeating – Matt Harvey’s starts are Must See TV.

Duda & Davis Duplicate Dingers: Lucas Duda and Ike Davis both went yard in Friday night’s win not once, but twice! It makes you want to dream about how awesome life would be if they just did that on a more regular basis. Especially Davis who is still struggling and whiffed three times the very next day.

Gee Gets An “A”: In the last 3&3 we got on Dillon Gee, so we’re more than happy to bump him up here, for his great start on Sunday afternoon. When the Mets needed a guy step up, Dillon did just that, tossing 5.2 shutout innings in the Mets 2-0 win over the Nats. Keep up the good work Dillon.

Another Laff-able Outing: Aaron Laffey, we hardly knew ye  After blowing the Mets lead on Saturday afternoon after coming out of the bullpen, the Mets finally had enough of Laffey and designated him for assignment. The Mets recalled Robert Carson to replace him and we hope he proves to be an upgrade. As we mentioned last time out, Laffey has looked overmatched during his short tenure with the Mets. Good luck to him.

No Washington Leadership: Not our elected officials, but on the field for the Nats. Watching Gio Gonzalez struggle Saturday afternoon, I kept waiting for one of the infielders to talk to him, and try to calm him down. It didn’t happen. The great 1986 team that Davey Johnson managed had two on-field leaders with Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter. In recent times we’ve seen David Wright go to the mound and get on big Mike Pelfrey and even Jon Niese. I just don’t understand why Adam LaRoche didn’t try to break the funk Gonzales was in. It worked out great for the Mets though.

Dodger Danger: A struggling L.A. Dodger team comes into Citi Field this week. It seems to me that struggling teams get healthy fast against the Mets. Let’s hope that’s not the case this time. Here’s to seeing the Mets kick the Dodgers while they are down.

It was a great weekend series for the Mets, taking two of three, especially after being swept in Denver. Until next time, Lets Go Mets!!!

Everytime I watch Matt Harvey pitch, those words come to mind and it’s not just me. It’s become the Mets Meme on Twitter every time Harvey pitches. It’s brought up mockingly when you’re watching the game with other fans. Who knows, maybe those words give Matt Harvey a little extra motivation to prove SNY’s Matthew Cerrone wrong when he wrote back on March 8, “My bet is Harvey never wins a Cy Young.”

I take a little added joy whenever Harvey goes out and delivers like he did last night in the Mets 7-1 victory over the Nationals. He was a warrior. It was a marquee matchup between two of baseball’s pitching elite; Matt Harvey vs Stephen Strasburg, and at least on this particular night, Harvey delivered the knockout blow. It was a roundhouse punch straight to the jaw of all those who doubted him.

Harvey is currently the best pitcher in the National League and perhaps the entire game. In just his first full season, he is 4-0 with a 0.93 ERA. He has allowed 10 hits in his four starts. The only Met pitchers with more strikeouts in their first 14 games than Harvey’s 102 Ks are Dwight Gooden and Nolan Ryan. Gooden, by the way, may just be Matt Harvey’s biggest fan. He watches every game, tweets about him before, during and after every start, and even tagged him “The Real Deal. He should know.

Gary Cohen said during the SNY broadcast, that last night at Citi Field was the best atmosphere at a Mets game he’s felt since Johan Santana‘s performance on September 27, 2008. That was the game that kept the Mets season alive for one more day, and was to me his greatest moment as a Met. Because of the significance of that game, it was greater still than his no-hitter.

Last night at Citi Field there was a vibe that I haven’t felt in many, many years. There were a ton of empty seats to be sure, but you wouldn’t know it by the fan’s noise level and the cheers that drowned out anything Gary, Keith and Ron had to say. There was some old-fashioned magic in the air and if you didn’t feel it then you may want to consider your inner Mets fandom.

Matt Harvey reminded me of those nights when Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden would electrify the crowd. Their mere presence gave us hope that the night would be magical and that we were all in store for a special treat. Those two names are iconic symbols whenever you talk about Mets pitching royalty. Those two have won their share of Cy Youngs.

As I wrote back on March 8 in response to the decree by SNY’s Blogfather, “Matt Harvey will have his Cy Youngs. One day he will be remembered along with Seaver and Gooden as the greatest pitchers ever to don a Met uniform.”

So, will Matt Harvey ever win a Cy Young? You bet your ass he will, and his first Cy Young may come as soon as this season. The first of many.

Last night’s duel over Stephen Strasburg had a very loud, clear, and convincing message attached to it. Last night, Matt Harvey put the National League and all of baseball on notice. Harvey is, as Doctor K plainly put it, The Real Deal. Put away any lingering doubts.

Live Blog From Citi Field Pressbox

Top First: It starts to rain right after the anthem and moment of silence for Boston and Texas. The weather isn’t Minnesota-Denver bad, but I thought there would be more people here for Harvey-Strasburg. Harvey strikes out his first hitter and gets out of the inning with a runner on second.

Bottom First: Jordany Valdespin leading off again. Glad to see Terry Collins running with this. Valdespin reaches on E6. Takes third on Daniel Murphy’s hit-and-run single and scores on wild pitch. Murphy takes third on fly ball and scored on John Buck’s RBI. That’s 20 RBI for him. Really is amazing. I like Murphy’s aggressiveness in advancing on fly to right.

Mets 2, Nationals 0

Top Second: A lot of attention in the press box on what’s going on in Boston. Harvey breezing. Fans Chad Tracy. A 1-2-3 second.

Bottom Second: Marlon Byrd doubles, but is stranded on third as Strasburg punches out Valdespin. That’s a wasted opportunity and you don’t get many off Strasburg. We’ll see if this haunts them later. Strasburg nearing 50 pitches already.

End Second: Mets 2, Nationals 0

Top Third: Strasburg doubles, but Harvey gets out of it by striking out Jayson Werth.

Bottom Third: Rain gone. Doc Gooden gets a nice ovation when they show him on the video board. He tweeted Harvey is the real deal. Looks like it. … Meanwhile, Boston PD has suspect cornered. That’s where a lot of the attention is. … Ike Davis strikes out for second time. Buck fans and another runner is left in scoring position.

End Third: Mets 2, Nationals 0

Top Fourth: Harvey finished the fourth with one hit and two walks and five strikeouts. He’s thrown 62 pitches, 41 for strikes. Everything is working for him tonight.

Bottom Fourth: There’s a steady falling mist again. Strasburg walked Duda, but set the next three hitters down. He’s settled down since the first, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks and five strikeouts. He’s pitching a good game, too.

End Fourth: Mets 2, Nationals 0

Top Fifth: A 1-2-3 inning for Harvey, Strikes out Suzuki swinging. They have apprehended the second suspect. Pressbox buzzing.

Bottom Fifth: Valdespin, Murphy, Wright go down in order. Just in – Brandon: Nimmo is 3-for-3.

End Fifth: Mets 2, Nationals 0

Top Sixth: Everyone watching the breaking news of suspect capture in Boston. Terrific job by law enforcement across the board. Boston can sleep easier tonight.… Harvey throws DP grounder started by Murphy, who is looking better and better at second. … Valdespin makes diving catch to end inning.

Bottom Sixth: Davis and Duda homer. Davis hit his to left and Duda’s went to center. … Crowd chanting “Harvey’s better.’’ Actually, pretty funny. … Strasburg already over 100 pitches, so this figures to be his last inning.

End Sixth: Mets 4, Nationals 0

Top Seventh: Harvey enters the inning with a two-hit shutout on 82 pitches. But, a walk and a couple of hits later and his shutout was gone. … Perhaps even more impressive was getting out of a bases loaded jam with no outs without giving up further damage. … Harvey finished with one run given up on four hits, three walks and seven strikeouts.

Bottom Seventh: Strasburg didn’t come out. He gave up four runs on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts in six innings. “USA – USA – USA -USA!” The crowd chants as news of arrest shows on scoreboard.

End Seventh: Mets 4, Nationals 1

Top Eighth: Big cheer when news on the scoreboard announced second suspect was captured. … Another cheer when Boston Police Department was saluted. … Scott Rice pitched a scoreless inning.

Bottom Eighth: Drew Storen now pitching and gives up leadoff triple to David Wright and two-run homer to Davis. … Duda added another homer, his fifth of the season.

End Eighth: Mets 7, Nationals 1.

Top Ninth: Sweet Caroline was played as Bobby Parnell threw his warm-up pitches. The Mets did it before, but it sounded better tonight. … Sweet, diving play by Murphy to get the second out.

Final: Mets 7, Nationals 1

Mets Starting Lineup

1. Jordany Valdespin CF
2. Daniel Murphy 2B
3. David Wright 3B
4. Ike Davis 1B
5. John Buck C
6. Lucas Duda LF
7. Marlon Byrd RF
8. Ruben Tejada SS
9. Matt Harvey RHP

Game Notes

No Surgery for Travis d’Arnaud! The Mets’ top prospect suffered a nondisplaced fracture of the first metatarsal in his left foot when he was struck with a foul ball in the sixth inning of Triple-A Las Vegas’ game Wednesday night. He has been placed in a walking boot and will miss approximately eight weeks, Terry Collins just said..

Shaun Marcum got through yesterday’s extended spring training game fine. Mets will try to get him to 80 pitches next time. He tossed four hitless and scoreless innings in an extended spring training game, struck out five.

Relievers Josh Edgin, Scott Atchison and Jeurys Familia combined to allow six runs in the seventh inning, and the Mets lost to the Rockies 11-3 Thursday afternoon at Coors Field. The Mets dropped to .500. Hopefully, Matt Harvey gives the pen a day of rest tonight. They need one.

New York had two games postponed on its recent road trip. They will play the Rockies at Coors Field on June 27 at 6:10 PM, and will make up its game against the Twins on August 19 at 2:10 PM at Target Field.

Game Preview

The Mets finally get out of Colorado and return home to Queens tonight to one of the most anticipated pitching matchups in a long time. The Mets entered Denver with a 7-4 record and were swept, dropping them down to a record of 7-7. While there is plenty of blame to go around, the bullpen, who saved the Mets in an earlier Laffey start at home and was strong at the start of the season, fell apart on the road. Anyway, Matt Harvey looks to keep his strong start going against Stephen Strasburg.

Harvey is 3-0 in first three starts with a 0.84 ERA over 22.0 innings. In that stretch he has allowed only 2 ER and only 6 hits while walking 6 and striking out 25 batters. He’s leading the league in WHIP, Wins, and H/9. He faced the Nationals once last year picking up the loss after allowing only one earned run over 5 innings of work while striking out 10 batters. The Nationals have the following numbers against Matt:

Desmond 1-2
Harper 0-3
LaRoche 1-3
Werth 0-2
Zimmerman 1-2, HR
Suzuki 0-2

The Mets will get a crack at the National’s phenom today in Stephen Strasburg who is 1-2 over 18.1 innings and 3 games so far this year while posting a 2.95 ERA. He has had two dominant games where he went 7 shutout innings 6 innings allowing 0 earned runs (2 unearned). He also had one start where he allowed 6 ER over 5.1 innings. He was good against the Mets last season holding them to one earned run over 13 innings and two starts, who have posted the following numbers against him:

Buck 2-9
Davis 3-8, HR
Tejada 1-8
Murphy 1-5
Wright 1-6
Byrd 1-3
Duda 0-2
Valdespin 1-3

Let’s Go Mets!

Check 213 Miles From Shea!

If you’re the kind of baseball fan that still loves a good old-fashioned pitching duel like thrill of a Tom Seaver vs. Steve Carlton matchup, then tonight’s contest between the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets will be right up your alley.

As I said last week, every time Matt Harvey steps onto a mound it is must-see TV, but tonight’s contest comes with the added thrill of a marquee matchup as Stephen Strasburg squares off against Matt Harvey in what promises to be a pitchers duel like no other at Citi Field.

Strasburg, who is 1-2 with a 2.95 ERA and 15 strikeouts this season over 18.1 innings of work, may very well be the underdog in this contest – and no, that’s not the Met fan in me saying that.

His mound opponent, Mets phenom Matt Harvey, takes the hill with a 3-0 record and a 0.82 ERA while striking out 25 over 22.0 innings pitched this season. He is the clear favorite.

Both starters are former first-round picks. The Nationals selected Strasburg with their first overall pick in the 2009 Draft, while the Mets selected Harvey a year later with the seventh overall pick in the 2010 Draft.

Harvey, fresh off of being named the NL Player of the Week, has been nothing short of phenomenal this season so far this season. One of the most mind boggling statistics that pops out at you is that he’s allowed just six hits in his 22 innings of work. Let the enormity of that sink in.

In his last start against the Minnesota Twins, Harvey took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and got the first two outs before being tagged by a Justin Morneau home run. Whenever he takes the hill something special happens and on that night in particular, Harvey was electric.

Mets manager Terry Collins says Harvey will be armed and dangerous for tonight’s contest and gets amped up for moments like these.

“What we saw on the mound, his demeanor and everything else has changed. I know he’ll be ready, because he’s facing one of the best teams in the game.’’

“He loves the big stage, and that’s what he’s on,’’ Collins said yesterday. “He’s got a big challenge and if you look at some of the games he’s had to pitch, they have been against some pretty impressive guys, and he’s getting another one.’’

I’ve been waiting all week for tonight’s game.

I’ve had no problem calling Matt Harvey the best player to come out of the Mets draft since Dwight Gooden. Barring injuries, by the time his stellar career is over, Harvey may end up being the best Mets draft selection ever.

The Mets right-hander in no longer just a Mets sensation, he is now a baseball sensation and a national treasure.

All eyes will be watching baseball’s signature event tonight. Matt Harvey is now Prime Time  He really is The Real Deal.

The road trip that began with a stumble in Philadelphia mercifully ended with a fall this afternoon in freezing Denver. The Mets left Citi Field at 4-2 and will arrive home tomorrow at 7-7. After losing two of three to the Phillies, the Mets won two in Minnesota in brutal conditions, then lost three games in Colorado, including today’s 11-3 mauling of Jon Niese, and of course, the bullpen.

ON THE MOUND:

Niese was not effective, and in his worst start of the season gave up three runs on nine hits and a walk in six innings. Technically, that’s a quality start, but Niese would agree that it was not. The Rockies ripped the Mets’ pen for six runs after two outs in the seventh. For the series, the bullpen gave up 18 runs on 22 hits in 11 innings.

AT THE PLATE:

David Wright went 2-for-3 with two RBI. The top three in the order, Jordany Valdespin, Daniel Murphy and Wright each had two hits. The Mets had eight total. … Ike Davis went 1-for-4 to raise his average to .146. No, they did not stop the game to give him the ball after the hit. … Since his grand slam last Friday in Minnesota, John Buck has gone 2-for-16.

METS MUSINGS:

Matt Harvey wasn’t around to watch the carnage as he took an early flight to New York in preparation for Friday’s start against the Washington Nationals.

Frank Francisco pitched a scoreless inning Wednesday night in a rehab assignment. There is no timetable for his return.

Terry Collins said not to expect any prospect be brought up soon.

Shaun Marcum threw 41 pitches today in an extended spring training game today in Port St. Lucie. He was scheduled to throw 65 pitches. Collins said Marcum must throw 90 pitches in five days, and then possibly another game before he’s activated. The Mets aren’t scheduled to need a fifth starter until April 27.

Lucas Duda did not play because of tightness in his back. The Mets wouldn’t say if he would be available Friday.

Lefty reliever Josh Edgin gave up two runs and has been hit for six in his last two appearances.

Triple-A catcher Travis d’Arnaud will be in New York Friday to have his broken left foot examined. GM Sandy Alderson said he doesn’t know if surgery will be required. That should be determined tomorrow.

ON DECK:

The Mets are home Friday to start a three-game series against Washington, beginning with the marquee match-up of Harvey against Stephen Strasburg.

Jon Niese gets credit for a quality start according to those stats…

As for the others?

Well this, my friends, is where our story begins…

Behold the Mets’ poison pen and embrace the horror…

• Josh Edgin has a 9.75 ERA and his fastball is slowing down in velocity by the day. The situation with him is nearing a panic level.
• Scott Atchison couldn’t get an out and allowed three earned runs to cross the plate. Simply put, he’s not getting it done.
• Jeurys Familia had a rude awakening in his first action since arriving from Sin City. I had high expectations for him today and I’m hoping this was just a blip on the radar. Perhaps a case of jet lag? Perhaps the physical shock of coming from a hot desert into an arctic tundra in the space of 12 hours?
• Jeremy Hefner can now boast that he’s flopped both as a starter and a reliever all in the space of a week. That’s not easy to do.

The toll on the New York Mets bullpen during this Colorado series was disastrous. All told, they pitched to the tune of a 13.09 ERA and during the three games they managed to squeeze in, the Mets bullpen allowed 18 runs (16 earned) on 22 hits and 8 walks in 11.0 innings.

Was it the frigid temperatures? Afterall, the first-pitch temperature was an crisp 28 degrees – the lowest temperature ever recorded in the 20-year history of the Rockies.

But then how do explain the Rockies impressive bullpen who posted an almost invisible 0.76 ERA? How does one explain away that?

Tsk, tsk, what is a poor Mets fan to do…

It was indeed a brutal scene to behold…

It was indeed a nauseating game to watch…

But remember, it’s only April, so let’s not hit the panic button just yet…

Instead, run down to the town square and fill your ice chests with some frosty brews…

Be sure to stop by the village market and stock up on your favorite snacks…

For tomorrow, the tragedy of this day will all be forgotten…

For tomorrow, ’tis Matt Harvey vs. Stephen Strasburg Day….

Mets manager Terry Collins said he did not plan to disrupt the throwing schedule for Matt Harvey regardless of postponements in Denver. So Harvey continues to be in line for Friday’s game against the Washington Nationals, who are expected to start Stephen Strasburg in the series opener at Citi Field.

Original Post by Ed Leyro on 4/15

Although not nearly as grandiose as this historic matchup, Stephen Strasburg vs. Matt Harvey promises to be Must See TV.

Matt Harvey almost made history on Saturday for the Mets, coming within seven outs of pitching the franchise’s second no-hitter.  Although he didn’t keep the Twins hitless, he did keep them behind the Mets all day en route to his third consecutive victory to start the season.

Given the weather forecasts for Minneapolis today and Denver during the week, the Mets might have to shuffle their rotation if games get delayed or postponed.  If that happens, Mets fans might be in for a real treat next Friday when their beloved team returns to Citi Field to open a ten-game homestand against the division rival Washington Nationals.

Washington has already announced that their starting pitcher for Friday night’s game against the Mets will be Stephen Strasburg.  Because of the uncertain weather conditions the Mets face in Minneapolis and Denver, Strasburg’s opponent could very well be Matt Harvey.

As things currently stand, Dillon Gee is set to start today’s finale against the Twins.  Gee would be followed by Jeremy Hefner on Monday in Colorado, Aaron Laffey on Tuesday and Jonathon Niese on Wednesday.  Harvey would be in line to pitch in the final game against the Rockies Thursday afternoon.  However, if today’s game in Minnesota is rained out (and there’s a 90% chance of rain being forecast for Sunday afternoon), Gee’s start would be pushed back to Monday.

Of course, if the Mets have a game postponed over the next few days, manager Terry Collins could bypass Aaron Laffey’s spot in the rotation and continue to pitch the other starters on four days’ rest.  That would keep Harvey on pace to pitch Thursday.  But there is an 80% chance of precipitation for the Mile High City on Monday.  And on Wednesday night, the temperature is supposed to dip to a ridiculous-for-baseball 12°.  That’s 12° Fahrenheit, not 12° Celsius (which converts to a more baseball-friendly 53° F).

If any of the games in Colorado are postponed, we might get a pitching matchup to drool over on Friday night at Citi Field.  It’s such a juicy matchup, it deserves its own paragraph, italics, centering, boldface and a pair of photographs:

Matt Harvey vs. Stephen Strasburg

As Mets fans, we never want to see Mother Nature deny us the opportunity to see our beloved team on a day the schedule tells us that they’re supposed to play.  But the potential for a Harvey/Strasburg matchup at Citi Field is too intriguing to pass up.

Do yourselves a favor.  Pay a visit to your local bookstore and ask if they have a “Raindancing For Dummies” manual.  Then send it to a couple of displaced Mets fans living in Minnesota and Denver.  You won’t regret it if we get a pitching matchup of Harvey vs. Strasburg at Citi Field on Friday night.

Update:  It looks like the “Raindancing For Dummies“ manual worked.  As of Sunday morning, the finale of the three-game series in Minnesota has been canceled due to inclement weather.  The official New York Mets Twitter account has posted the pitching matchups for the four-game series in Colorado, and you might notice a specific member of the rotation who is not scheduled to pitch at Coors Field.

Rotation for the Rockies: Mon: Dillon Gee. Tue. Aaron Laffey. Wed. Jeremy Hefner. Thurs. Jonathon Niese.

— New York Mets (@Mets) April 14, 2013

Matt Harvey will not be pitching in Colorado this week, meaning he will indeed be starting the opener of the homestand against Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals.  If you were able to send one of the manuals to a displaced Mets fan in Denver, please contact them and tell them it’s defective.  That way, they won’t use it and we’ll get that epic matchup on Friday night.  Barring any other weather-related cancellations, it appears as if many Mets fans, as well as baseball fans in general, will be in love with this matchup on Friday night.

I wrote last week Matt Harvey could pitch against Stephen Strasburg in the first game of the Washington series, and depending on possible postponements it could still pan out that way.

The Mets will have the back end of their rotation in the first three games of the Colorado series, with Dillon Gee, Aaron Laffey and Jeremy starting in the Coors Field bandbox. Who doesn’t believe the bullpen will get a lot of work?

Jon Niese is scheduled to start Thursday afternoon, where the temperatures could be in the teens.

It’s hard to hit in the cold, but might be more difficult to pitch as the ball is difficult to grip and the pitchers’ command is usually off.

In looking at the Rockies series, there are several things in addition to the Mets’ bullpen we should be curious in seeing:

* There’s the sizzling John Buck, who needed yesterday’s day off. Buck is the first player in history with 19 RBI in his first ten games with a new team. Buck is also one of four players with 19 RBI in his team’s first ten games, joining Lou Gehrig (1927 Yankees), Manny Ramirez (1999 Indians) and Chris Davis (this year’s Orioles).

Buck’s streak of homers in four straight games was snapped, but his six homers is more than Mets catchers hit last year (five).

* Marlon Byrd went deep yesterday to give the Mets a franchise-record 11 straight games with a homer to start a season. It’s the longest since the Rays homered in 12 straight in 2007.

* Whether Jordany Valdespin hits leadoff tonight. Despite their winning record, the Mets have not found a consistent leadoff hitter among the four they have used. Like him or not, Valdespin does generate a buzz.

* How long will Ike Davis’ slump last? He’s hitting .128 with a .244 on-base and .205 slugging percentage.  Coors Field was built to end slumps. Of all Davis’ poor numbers, 12 strikeouts and just five hits might be the most stunning.

* Will Daniel Murphy continue to sizzle? He’s hitting .381 with hits in seven of his last eight games. Murphy has 16 hits, with eight going for extra bases. He has a .413 on-base percentage and .690 slugging percentage.

* Will David Wright get his first homer? Coors Field has always been kind to Wright. He is a lifetime .385 hitter with a .461 on-base percentage, eight homers and 33 RBI in 29 games in the Rocky Mountains. In comparison, he has 14 homers and 35 RBI in 74 games at Turner Field, and seven homers and 41 RBI in 58 games at the Marlins’ old park.

The Mets return home Friday to start a three-game series with the suddenly vulnerable Nationals this weekend.

The night Dillon Gee had in Philadelphia happens to all pitchers. It happened to Stephen Strasburg the other day. It will happen to Matt Harvey. It is premature to worry about Gee two starts into the season. It was not a game worthy of capital punishment.

It was a file-and-forget game.

“There’s not a whole lot to say. A terrible night,’’ Gee told reporters. “But you’ve got to move past it.’’

He’s right, so let’s move on to something worthy of concern.

With Gee’s short outing and Aaron Laffey not getting through five innings Sunday, the Mets’ bullpen has worked 4.2 and five innings in two of the last three games. That’s over the equivalent of an entire game.

The accumulation of innings by the bullpen is already a concern for manager Terry Collins as it indicates a three-fold problem: 1) the Mets have a problem with the back end of their rotation, 2) they lack a quality long man, somebody who can give them three or more innings when a game gets away early, and 3) this will eventually add up to a bullpen meltdown.

That is why Collins took Lucas Duda out of the game in a double-switch in the fourth inning. He explained the need to get two innings out of Greg Burke, and the No. 9 spot in the order was due up second the next inning.

It makes total sense.

Last night was the 51^st start of Gee’s career, and he’s gone at least five innings in 47 of them, so let’s not get crazy with him. However, he’s also a No. 3 starter and the Mets need him to get out of the sixth on a consistent basis.

The difference between five and six innings over a full season – considered 34 starts – is 34 innings, or roughly four games. It adds up and if Collins is already thinking of these things, it isn’t an indication of comfort.

That’s why the Mets’ refusal to consider Aaron Harang is puzzling. Since 2005, he’s worked at least 180 innings in all but two years. Three times he’s gone over 200 innings. That’s acceptable for a No. 4 and No. 5 starter. Unless Harang has an injury we don’t know about, if he becomes a free-agent in a week (he was recently designated for assignment) the Mets should be calling him.

The Mets were fortunate to have Harvey to slot in between Gee and Laffey – caused by the off day last week – but that won’t always be the case. If Collins can maneuver it, he should separate Gee and Laffey whenever possible to avoid consecutive short days by the starters.

However, he is limited because there’s also Jeremy Hefner, who is not a proven long haul starter. With the exception of last night and Laffey, the Mets have received strong starts in every game, but that won’t last all season.

Naturally, when the topic is the Mets needing a quality starter the talk turns to Zack Wheeler. Let’s say it one more time about Wheeler: He is not ready.

Wheeler was rocky again last night as he gave up four runs on eight hits and three walks in 5.1 innings and 92 pitches. For Wheeler’s stuff, 92 pitches should translate into eight or nine innings, not one out into the sixth. It doesn’t matter that three of the runs were unearned. The unearned runs indicates Wheeler strained to get out of trouble.

So, unless Wheeler proves he can get himself out of trouble, he won’t be able to get the Mets out of trouble.

KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE AND YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER!

Team News and Notes

Atlanta Braves (6-1)

The Braves currently sit in first place in the NL East, and new addition Justin Upton is a major reason why. The 25-year-old has batted .423/.448/1.192 to start the season, with six bombs and eight RBI. The other half of the Upton brothers, B.J., has struggled to hit himself out of a barn batting just .120 to date. On the mound, the wily veteran Tim Hudson is back to work with a record of 1-0, and a 3.27 ERA to start the year. Paul Maholm hasn’t given up a run in 12 2/3 innings, and Mike Minor was solid in his first start as well, while youngster Julio Teheran struggled.   

Washington Nationals (4-2)

Bryce Harper was the story during the opening week as he belted three home runs, including two on Opening Day. Stephen Strasburg fired seven shutout innings on Opening Day, but got roughed up for six earned runs in his second start. Gio Gonzalez, Ross Detwiler, and Jordan Zimmerman all went six innings in their starts and allowed just one earned run combined. 

Philadelphia Phillies (2-5)

Opening Day starter Cole Hamels got pounded over his first two starts of the season, giving up an astounding 13 earned runs over his 10 innings of work. Conversely, Cliff Lee twirled an eight inning gem, allowing just two hits and striking out eight in his first start. Ryan Howard has started out slow, batting .148 with 10 punch-outs in just 27 at-bats. Chase Utley, on the other hand has burst out of the gate on fire. The second baseman is batting .370/.400/.630, with one home run, seven RBI and two doubles. Lastly, are we seeing the beginning of the end for Roy Halladay? The righty has seen a drop in his velocity, and has an unsightly ERA of 14.73 over his first two starts of 2013. 

Miami Marlins (1-6)

The Marlins have stumbled out of the gate, and did not score a run until the second inning of their third game of the season. Giancarlo Stanton has struggled with little support around him, and is batting .174/.367/.261 with no home runs or RBI, and just one run scored. Jose Fernandez made his debut against the Mets on Sunday, and dazzled for the first five innings, striking out eight, but received a no-decision.

Injury Report

Nationals: Adam LaRoche is currently day-to-day with a stiff back. Reliever Christian Garcia is on the DL with partial tear in his forearm tendon.

Braves: Jonny Venters (elbow) was shut down for four weeks on April 2, and may be out for the first two months. Brandon Beachy (Tommy John surgery) and Brian McCann (offseason shoulder surgery) were placed on the DL on March 29, both retroactive to March 22.  McCann may start a possible rehab assignment by mid-April, and could be activated by late April, while Beachy could return by midseason. Freddie Freeman was placed on the DL with a strained oblique on April 7, and may need 2-3 weeks to recover.

Phillies: Delmon Young (ankle) played the outfield for the first time this spring on April 1, with the hope that he returns sometime in May.

Marlins: Casey Kotchman was placed on the DL, retroactive to April 4, with a strained hamstring. Logan Morrison is currently on the 60-day DL, as he recovers from a torn patella tendon that required surgery last September. Henderson Alvarez and Nathan Eovaldi are both on the DL with right shoulder inflammation. Alvarez has resumed a throwing program, and could return by early May, while Eovaldi is out indefinitely.

Upcoming Schedules (4/8-4/14) 

Nationals: (CWS, 4/9-4/11), (ATL, 4/12-4/14)

Braves: (@FLA, 4/8-4/10), (@WSH, 4/12-4/14)

Phillies: (NYM, 4/8-4/10), (@MIA, 4/12-4/14)

Marlins: (ATL, 4/8-4-10) (PHI, 4/12-4/14)

Suspensions

Carlos Ruiz: The Phillies backstop will continue to serve his 25-game suspension to start the season.

Is Justin Upton the heir apparent to Chipper “Larry” Jones?

But, there is some juice here, enough to where there is some light.

The Mets began the season with little hope of cracking last year’s 74 victories, but the first week created a sense there might be something to the summer if nothing more than another collapse in the making.But, wouldn’t you rather have a duplicate of last season – a good start followed by a fall – rather than no season at all?

Following a baseball team is all about hope, and maybe the Mets will break your hearts again. While hoping for October is outlandish, hoping for an enjoyable summer, where meaningful games are played, could be possible.

It is hard in baseball to look at a schedule, circle a date and think, “that’s a win.’’ There are many variables in baseball that make it difficult, but looking at their upcoming 10-game road trip, it isn’t hard to fathom an opportunity to make April interesting, and with it, maybe the entire summer.

The Mets open a three-game series tonight in Philadelphia behind Matt Harvey, who every time he pitches, has his teammates believing.

“It’s exciting to see him pitch,’’ David Wright said. “He pitches with a lot of poise. We believe we can win every time he goes out there.’’

The Phillies aren’t the monster they used to be, and their starter tonight, Roy Halladay, is in decline. Philadelphia, ever grateful for the Marlins, has been slow out of the gate.

As bad as they were last year, the Mets were 10-8 against the Phillies, including 7-2 in their park. Confidence can be a fragile thing, but the Mets know they can win down there.

Following Harvey will be Dillon Gee and Jeremy Hefner against Cliff Lee and Kyle Kendrick, respectively.

After Philadelphia comes Minnesota. The Twins enjoyed a strong run from 2002-2010 when they made the playoffs six times, but they’ve had two down seasons.

If the Mets should pattern themselves after any team over the past decade, they would do far worse than emulate the Twins, who have fielded fundamentally strong teams with good pitching while on a limited budget.

The probable for Minnesota are: Jon Niese, Aaron Laffey and Harvey.

The Mets conclude their trip with four games in Colorado, which is three years removed from the playoffs and five from the World Series.

The Mets haven’t enjoyed much success against the Rockies, but their park is one where pretty much anything can happen.

As of now, Gee, Hefner, Niese and Laffey will start against the Rockies.

By no means is this an easy stretch, but coming home even or 6-4 is doable, before series against Washington, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Circle your calendar: April 19 at Citi Field, Harvey against Stephen Strasburg.

“Keep Your Enemies Closer”

The National League East has been known for it’s pitching staffs, going back to the Mets rotations of the 80′s, the Braves of the 90′s and early 2000′s, all the way up to the Phillies and Nationals of the past few seasons. What’s clear is that each team has quality pitching in some way. Teams like the Mets and Marlins have some good rotation options, with high-end quality prospects entering their respective staffs this season. While other teams like Phillies have a three-headed monster at the top, and the Nationals are building around the all-world Stephen Strasburg.

Let’s take a look at each rotation, and rank them in order from last to first.

5. Miami Marlins

1. Ricky Nolasco
2. Henderson Alvarez-DL
3. Nathan Eovaldi-DL
4. Wade LeBlanc
5. Kevin Slowey
6. Jose Fernandez
7. Alex Sanabia

4. New York Mets

1. Jonathon Niese
2. Matt Harvey
3. Shaun Marcum-DL
4. Dillon Gee
5. Jeremy Hefner

3. Atlanta Braves

1. Tim Hudson
2. Kris Medlen
3. Paul Maholm
4. Mike Minor
5. Julio Teheran
6. Brandon Beachy-DL

2. Philadelphia Phillies

1. Cole Hamels
2. Roy Halladay
3. Cliff Lee
4. Kyle Kendrick
5. John Lannan

1. Washington Nationals

1. Stephen Strasburg
2. Gio Gonzalez
3. Jordan Zimmerman
4. Dan Haren
5. Ross Detwiler

What are your starting rotation rankings in the National League East?

There’s a twinge of anticipation this morning as Matt Harvey gets the ball today against the Miami Marlins.Stephen Strasburg is an exceptional talent in Washington, but in Harvey the Mets also have a young arm this franchise can build around.

If there’s one thing the Mets are noted for it is the development of young pitchers. Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Nolan Ryan, Dwight Gooden and now Harvey.

How long, or now successful he will become is one of baseball’s delightful mysteries because this could be the start of something special.

“I am excited about getting the chance to work and grow with him,’’ said catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud, who isn’t in the lineup today against the Marlins “It has been fun so far.’’

Harvey is coming off a start in which he and d’Arnaud were crossed up, but there was a show of poise on both parts as they met at the mound to get their signs correct.

“It’s a matter of trust,’’ d’Arnaud said. “He has to trust what I put down, and he has to trust himself that it is the right pitch.’’

It was frequently last year for Harvey, who made such an impression in ten starts that he’s already penned in to the rotation.

“I’m just working off of last year,’’ Harvey told reporters after his last start. “The last three starts I had during the season were pretty good and that’s the biggest thing now, just keeping that going and trying to remember what I did when things were good.’’

Good is a word not recently associated with the Mets or their pitching.