Mets right-hander Matt Harvey has 20 no-decisions during his career, 15 of them in which he allowed one earned run or less. He has picked up the Mets time and time again. While some might disagree with how he handled the fiasco Scott Boras dropped in his lap, what Harvey has done for this team cannot be discredited.
Sure, Harvey has seen brighter days in orange and blue, but the Mets might not be at this point if not for him. He mans the front-lines of one of the best rotations in baseball and is a force to be reckoned with no matter if the opponent is the Miami Marlins or the St. Louis Cardinals.
Obviously, Harvey did not have his best stuff last night. Terry Collins said he tried too hard and was overthrowing taking away from his usual excellent command. He pitched 5 1/3 innings while allowing seven runs (although several of them may not have scored if not for a Yoenis Cespedes outfield blunder).
You could tell from the first inning that Harvey, who has pitched very well as of late, did not have his usual dominant repertoire. After Michael Taylor smoked a bases-loaded single in the sixth that trickled past Cespedes leading to all four runners scoring, a dejected Harvey hung his head as he walked back to the mound before being pulled. Harvey needed to be picked up in a way that he has picked up his team countless times in the past. His teammates responded.
The Washington Nationals’ bullpen combined to give up six runs while walking six in the seventh inning. It was a team effort that saw contributions from David Wright, Michael Conforto, Wilmer Flores and of course, Cespedes who had the decisive blow: a three-run, two-out double off Drew Storen.
With the game tied 7-7, the Mets handed the Nationals the final blow, a pinch-hit, solo homer by recently recalled outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis. That’s all it took and the Mets bullpen sealed the deal.
The Amazins are now six games up with their ace, Jacob deGrom, pitching tomorrow night as they go for the sweep.
After the game, Harvey was asked about his next potential start and he told Adam Rubin of ESPN New York that he has no idea when it will be, but that he will be ready when the Mets call on him.
“If Matt doesn’t pitch anymore, we’re going to pick up the pieces,” Collins told Kristie Ackert of the Daily News. “We’ve got the bodies to do it. He’s a big piece but so is David Wright. So we’ll move forward.”
Matt Harvey’s mask has been removed this week and his unveiling came to climax last night during a rough outing. Maybe this is what he needed. While he will always be larger than life to some fans, he is still human and more importantly still a Met who deserves our support.
Terry Collins has done a nice job of deflecting a lot of the distractions and adversity and has kept his team focused on winning and picking each other up. Tuesday night was a great example of that.
