New York Mets pitcher, Matt Harvey, had another night to forget in his very first start at Coors Field. After an encouraging last start in San Diego, Harvey, again could not find his way against the Rockies.
On a night where he would go just 5.2 innings before giving way to the bullpen, his unknown issues continued. He allowed five runs on 11 hits, while striking out six. His ERA rose to 4.93, as his record dropped to 3-5.
“From one start to the next, it doesn’t feel the same at all,” Harvey said. “So, for me, it’s frustrating. It wasn’t the ballpark or anything like that. It was me. … I’m just not feeling comfortable throwing the baseball right now. It’s frustrating.”
“Something I’ve obviously done my whole life is gone on the mound and thrown a baseball. And right now it’s not an easy task. I’ve got to keep my head down and keep focused and keep pushing to figure it out.” (ESPN)
The 11 hits he surrendered were the second most in a start in his career. Only a 13-hit performance by the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 24, 2013, exceeded that total. That was Harvey’s last appearance before getting shut down with a UCL tear and ultimately undergoing Tommy John surgery. Harvey is adamant that health though is not of an issue this time.
“My body feels fine,” he said. “It’s just frustrating being out there right now.”
His fastball velocity was at a season low 93.2 MPH in yesterday’s 5-2 loss to the Rockies. He was extremely hittable and not fooling too many batters. In his previous start in San Diego, Harvey’s fastball showed some great signs of life, topping off at 97 MPH while averaging around 95 MPH. He has not been able to get into any rhythm so far this season.
“Right now, just not feeling great out there, you start overthinking pretty much everything,” Harvey said. “That’s the way it kind of feels every pitch. Hopefully we can get past that.”
It’s tough to understand if this is all purely mental for a pitcher who has not gone through a type of stretch such as this in his MLB career. His explanations would make you think it is, but his velocity could make you think otherwise and that’s it’s something mechanical.
The case of Matt Harvey hopefully will soon be solved, as he is a big part of one of the best rotations in baseball. It was tough seeing him so dejected last night during his postgame interview with reporters.
