Matt Harvey continues to put up zeroes in comeback season with Mets

It’s hard to believe, but Matt Harvey keeps findings ways to impress us.

Coming off seven shutout innings in his last start, Harvey did even better on Monday night against the St. Louis Cardinals. This time he threw eight shutout innings, striking out nine while allowing just six hits and walking one. He left the game with the Mets leading 1-0, but a blown save by Jeurys Familia cost Harvey a shot at the win and the game went to extras.

Fortunately the Mets didn’t completely put their ace’s dominant performance to waste, as John Mayberry Jr. delivered a walkoff single in the 14th inning to secure a 2-1 win and keep New York atop the NL East at 23-16.

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Harvey’s return from a full season out after Tommy John surgery has been remarkable. He’s now pitched 16 straight scoreless innings and he’s pitched at least six innings while allowing no runs in four of his eight starts. But how does his start this year compare to his breakout 2013 season? Apparently it’s pretty darn close.

Here are some numbers courtesy of Mark Simon at ESPN’s Stats and Info blog:

2013: 1.44 ERA, 62 strikeouts, 14 walks, three home runs allowed in 56 1/3 innings.

2015: 1.98 ERA, 56 strikeouts, eight walks, four home runs allowed in 54 2/3 innings.

Mighty fine numbers indeed. The Mets might need a little more offence to establish themselves as true contenders in the National League – they’re 22nd in MLB in runs per game at 3.87 – but there’s no doubt that Harvey is right back to being one of the best pitchers in baseball. As long as he keeps putting up zeroes, he’s giving his team a chance to win every time he steps on the mound.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr