Steven Matz had not won a game since May 25th of this season. He had looked like a shell of his former self as he struggles to pitch through a bone spur that will require surgery at season’s end. Matz though regained his form Sunday as the Mets defeated the Marlins by a score of 3-0.
The 25-year-old Matz pitched to six scoreless innings. He allowed just four hits while walking two and striking out six. When they needed him most, he came through in a big way.
“It’s great to really contribute to the win, for sure,” Matz said. “It was really good to go out there and put up some zeros. … I think early on I was really just focused on staying within myself and letting my mechanics take over and not trying to muscle up. That’s something I’ve been kind of fighting against … I think it really helped me out.” (NY Post)
The win improves his record to 8-6 on the season. Matz had started off the season 7-1, but he had struggled as of late, going 0-5 in his last five decisions with an ERA of 4.76. Manager, Terry Collins was very encouraged from what he saw of the rookie southpaw Sunday.
“It was very encouraging,” Collins said. “The fastball really had late life to it. You saw a lot of swings and missed on his fastballs. I thought his changeup and breaking ball he threw for strikes … I thought he had a great game.”
A game Matz will no doubt try to build on. At a time where every game is big, having Matz be at his best is crucial to the success of this injury riddled rotation.
