Some very ominous developments on the Matt Harvey front, after he told reporters that he will be examined by team doctors after experiencing arm fatigue during his start on Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs.
“I’m just pretty tired — my arm’s just not working at all. In past games it’s taken awhile to get loose, that’s kind of been the issue,” Harvey said.
“But tonight it got loose and kind of progressively felt really tired. It’s pretty frustrating for me to be taken out that early and not feel great physically, and I have to get checked out by a doctor. It’s the last thing I want to have happen, but I’ll put my trust in them and we’ll go from there.”
Harvey had a tough outing and you could tell something was awry very early in his start when he was greeted by home runs off the bats of Anthony Rizzo and Ian Happ to begin the first inning. He allowed four runs in total in four innings, his shortest outing this season.
“I tried to battle through it and see if it would progressively get better as the game went on as it has in the past,” Harvey continued. “But tonight it just got worse and worse.”
The former Mets ace has now allowed 16 home runs in 13 starts this season, as he continues to try and bounce back from surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.
“It’s been difficult, a very difficult year, a lot of ups and downs,” Harvey said. “A lot of discomfort, trying to battle through and strengthen areas that I’m not used to. It’s been rough.”
During the game, Harvey’s velocity dipped into the 86-87 mph range, a clear sign that something wasn’t right. We’ll learn more tomorrow after the right-hander is fully examined.
“We’re going to have Matt looked at just as a precaution,” Terry Collins said. “He’ll go see the doctor. Again, like anything else, when someone is just abnormal. It would be one thing if Matt was 91-92 [miles per hour], but it’s another thing when he’s 89.”
