The saga of the long-suffering Mets hit an all time low on Sunday as there was yet another casualty of the team’s war with themselves.
Matt Harvey was slapped with a three-day suspension without pay, and General Manager Sandy Alderson’s ten-second press conference provided nebulous news, only the fact that Harvey violated team rules. It was later reported by FOX Sports that Harvey had a migraine Saturday and did not report for Mets clubhouse work, citing a miscommunication. Convenient excuse or belligerent behavior?
With his failure to find his former self after off-season surgery, Harvey’s self-imposed Dark Knight moniker has become more indicative of his demeanor than his dominance on the mound. The once former face of the Mets pitching rotation presently has problems with his command, which has resulted in consecutive six-run outings.
Harvey says he feels good, but the box score shows he looks bad and although the Mets have been getting by without all but one of their premiere pitchers, their survival rate looks pretty slim with this cut and paste rotation. This was evidenced at Citi Field on Sunday when the job of being Harvey’s replacement fell in the hands of 29-year-old journeyman Adam Wilk, who had made one big-league appearance over the last five years.
Wilk wilted under pressure, lasting 3 ½ innings, yielding eight hits, six runs (five earned) and three homers in the Mets 7-0 loss to the Miami Marlins. The only saving grace was Rene Rivera’s lone single to escape the Mets being a footnote in the Marlin’s record book of starter Jose Urena’s masterful attempt at attaining a no-hitter.
Monday, New York begins a three-game series against the slumping San Francisco Giants. It’s the perfect medicine for a team looking for a sweep, if only Rafael Montero, who faces Matt Cain in the finale, can find the forest through his pitching woes on Wednesday.
