Steven Matz made his second start of the season last night and was dealt the loss. The Nationals slammed three home runs off him, accounting for all four runs he allowed. Overall, he surrendered four runs and eight hits while striking out four in 7.0 innings.
The three home runs Matz allowed last night is a career high for the lefty who made his first home start since August 14, 2016. Take away those three mistakes and he didn’t look too bad, consistently sitting 94-95 mph with his fastball. His curveball also looked great as it had a lot of sharp, late movement. After the game, Matz was asked if these first two starts since returning have gone better than he’d expected them to go.
“I don’t think so tonight,” Matz responded. “I think there’s still stuff I need to get better at. A little consistency with my fastball, with my curveball, the changeup was good tonight but I think some consistency and making better pitches.”
While the young starter got the loss last night, it was the second straight start since his return in which he pitched 7.0 innings. He’s shown the ability to get outs early in the count and limit the number of pitches he throws to each batter, something the rest of the Mets staff, namely Zack Wheeler, needs to get better at.
