In a game where they needed their rookie southpaw to provide them with a big start, he did just that. After back-to-back drubbings, courtesy of the Washington Nationals, the Mets needed to come up big against an inferior team.
It did not start out pretty, Steven Matz allowed a two-run homer in the first to Chris Carter. All of #MetsTwitter was already in a rage, but fret not as Matz came to pitch Friday night in the team’s 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Matz pitched through seven solid innings, allowing just two runs on three hits while striking out eight. He would retire 18 of the last 19 batters he faced. Manager, Terry Collins, could not have asked for a better start.
“Tremendous outing,” Collins said. “Matter of fact, we’re thinking of giving [Harvey] a shot tomorrow, just for the heck of it. It seems to be working.” (ESPN)
Matz has now improved to 6-1 on the season, winning six consecutive starts. Matz leads all rookies with six wins and his 2.81 ERA is the lowest among all qualified rookies. The last Met to win six straight starts was R.A. Dickey, May 22-June 18, 2012.
“If his health stays good, he’s going to win a lot of games,” Collins said.
As far as health goes, all seems to be good. Matz was feeling well after the game without any discomfort. Much needed good news for a franchise whose pitchers not named Noah Syndergaard, have all had some sort of issue arise in the early season. Matz had near pinpoint control Friday night, further acknowledging the negation of any lingering issues.
“I was definitely happy I was able to command the ball,” Matz said. “As far as the injury stuff, I got an MRI, got an X-ray, got a CT scan, and everything checked out clear.”
Matz has now Improved to 10-1 in 13 regular season games in the majors, with an overall ERA of 2.56. His career WHIP stands at 1.14, while only at 1.06 in the current season. Matz has all the abilities to be a star in this league and having him healthy is certainly a huge plus to a team who desperately needs him.
