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New York Mets Matt Harvey: What’s Wrong?

By Ron Juckett

May 19, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets manager Terry Collins (10) take the ball from New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey (33) in the third inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
May 19, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets manager Terry Collins (10) take the ball from New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey (33) in the third inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /
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A series of bad starts has the New York Mets and fans worried about the health of their star pitcher.

New York Mets ace Matt Harvey will make his next start against the Washington Nationals. The fact it needs to be mentioned at all is news.

Coming off one of the worst starts of his career Thursday night at Citi Field against the same Nats, the Mets front office met with Harvey Friday to map out his immediate future. Harvey told them he wants the ball in Washington, preferably on his regular day Tuesday. New York manager Terry Collins is not so sure.

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Aside from Thursday’s 2.2 inning debacle, Harvey is not the same starter that propelled the Mets to their first World Series since 2000 last year. In nine starts this season, the ”Dark Knight” carries a 3-6 record with an ERA of 5.77. With 48.1 innings in the books, Harvey has surrendered 65 hits, five homers and 31 earned runs. Last year, his first season since Tommy John surgery, he allowed 51 earned runs in 189.1 frames.

Thursday’s stunner marks the third time this year Harvey gave up over five earned runs. Responsible for six earned, the Mets trailed 9-1 when the hook came.

A look at his starts this year do not show overuse. Harvey has not pitched past the six inning or more than 102 pitches in any start. At times shaky, going into his start at Coors Field in Denver against the Colorado Rockies on May 13, Harvey had been rocked once in seven starts. A clunker at Progressive Field against the Cleveland Indians on April 16 where he allowed Cleveland five earned runs.

In Denver, the Rockies knocked him out in the sixth with 11 hits and five runs. Thursday, featuring a fastball flatter than a bottle of soda left open all night, Washington slugged eight hits, leading superstar Bryce Harper to feel openly sorry for Harvey in the press.

As Harvey told Collins and the Mets brain trust Friday, he feels fine. He wants the ball and is ready to go. Whatever slump he is in is not, he feels, related to his prior injuries.

Somehow, you figure Collins dials him back. Although the problem may be more between the ears or mechanical rather than a physical one, letting the slumping Harvey back on the bump Tuesday night may not be in his or the Mets best interests. A weekend of scouring video to see what he did last year so well will follow. Letting the Mets doctors check his arm strength is not a bad idea. Taking a day or skipping a start to let his mind relax is another option. With a quarter of the season gone, he is one of several pitchers with nine starts on the year. One missed game to let everyone make sure the ace is okay going forward will hurt no one.

If you are looking for a silver lining for Harvey, look no further than his agent Scott Boras. In an interview yesterday with Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal, he said:

"“If I gave you those numbers, you would have to say that this pitcher is in the dumps. His career path is altered. He’s changed. He’s someone who is in deep trouble and he’s not the same.“The numbers I just gave you are of a pitcher who just signed a $175 million contract.”"

Boras is referring, of course, to his other big pitching client, Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals. Now five years removed from his TJ troubles, Strasburg is 7-0 this season with an ERA of 2.80 and an ERA+ of 148. Yet, he struggled last year at this time with an ERA of 6.55 before hitting the disabled list with a stiff neck.

Next: Luis Severino not guaranteed rotation spot

Harvey is as tough as they come. With a drive and self-confidence to win over a tough market such as New York, taking a mini-vacation is not his version of ideal. He also is on the verge of a huge payday, either with the Mets the next couple years or as a free agent come 2019. New York understands protecting their investment is a priority. For Harvey, the same deal applies.

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