The Walk Off: Matt Harvey finally wins, but still looks shaky

Welcome to The Walk Off, the nightly MLB recap from Big League Stew. Here we’ll look at the top performers of the night, show you a must-see highlight and rundown the scoreboard. First, we start with a game you need to know about.

Matt Harvey still didn’t look like the ace New York Mets fans expect him to be on Friday night, but he finally got the result he was looking for in their 6-3 win against the Atlanta Braves.

Harvey needed 101 pitches to get through five innings with two runs allowed. That’s not efficient, nor is it pretty, especially given the hapless offensive opponent. But it was good enough to pick up his first win of the season, and it was perhaps more encouraging overall than his last outing in Cleveland, which completely unraveled after four perfect innings.

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Harvey allowed seven hits on Friday to go along with one walk. He also struck out a season-high five. If you’re looking for small victories, perhaps that’s another one. Clearly though five is far from a dominant number when Harvey is truly on his game.

Harvey has attributed his early struggles to mechinical issues. He worked overtime to sort those out between starts, but the results would have to be considered minimal improvements at best. That means more questions in the days ahead and greater focus on his next start against the CIncinnati Reds.

In other concerning news for New York, Yoenis Cespedes was forced from the win after aggravating a left leg bruise on a slide. Cespedes was seen limping significantly in the clubhouse, so a day off on Saturday wouldn’t be a huge surprise.

On the good side though, New York’s offense stayed hot with six more runs. Four of those came on Curtis Granderson’s second-inning grand slam, and another on a Granderson solo homer.

TOP PERFORMERS

Mookie Betts: Boston’s leadoff man was hitting everything in sight in their 6-2 victory against the Astros. Betts finished with four hits, coming up just a home run short of the cycle. It made for some drama late, as Betts tripled, doubled and singled in the first four innings. He had two more chances, but had to settle for a second triple in his final at-bat. So close, yet so far away.

Maikel Franco: Philadelphia’s third baseman wasn’t happy about having a home run taken away this week by Juan Lagares. In response, he hit two home runs in Friday’s 5-2 win against the Brewers that no outfielder could bring back. The homers were Franco’s third and fourth of the season. He finished with three hits and three RBIs.

[Elsewhere: Barry Bonds soaks up the love in return to S.F., but puts Marlins first]

The Cubs: This whole team is on fire right now, especially against the Reds. That continued with another lopsided 8-1 win on Friday. OK, so maybe it wasn’t 16-0 with a no-hitter, but it was still a complete win. Left-hander Jon Lester tossed seven innings of one-run to handle the pitching end. Offensively, seven different players drive in runs. Javier Baez was the biggest contributor with two hits and three runs scored. The Cubs are now 5-0 against Cincinnati this season.

Jacoby Ellsbury: If his straight steal of home plate wasn’t enough, Ellsbury also smacked a two-run double to help the Yankees knock off the Rays 6-3.

MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT

Have a game, Jayson Werth.

The Washington Nationals left fielder took a homer away from Minnesota’s Byron Buxton in the third inning, then hit a solo homer of his own in the fifth to lead Washington to an 8-4 victory. In doing so, Werth became the second Nationals player to hit a homer and rob a homer in the same game since the team moved from Montreal. Ryan Church also did it back in 2007.

THE SCOREBOARD

Indians 2, Tigers 1: Hitting leadoff for the first time in his career, Carlos Santana started the game with a home run against Justin Verlander. That one swing would prove to be the difference

A’s 8, Blue Jays 5: Oakland got another terrific start from Sonny Gray, who allowed just three runs over seven inning. Chris Coghlan provided the biggest hit with a three-run homer in the second inning.

White Sox 5, Rangers 0: Chicago takes the series opener thanks to seven scoreless innings from Jose Quintana and some disastrous baserunning by Texas.

Royals 4, Orioles 2: The real story here is Yovani Gallardo, who left after two innings with shoulder discomfort. The Orioles should have an update on Saturday.

Rockies 7, Dodgers 5: Nolan Arenado hit his seventh home run and scored three times as the Rockies rallied to win the series opener.

Pirates 8, Diamondbacks 7: Pittsburgh snapped Arizona’s five-game winning streak thanks to home runs from Jordy Mercer, Sean Rodriguez and Gregory Polanco.

Mariners 5, Angels 2 (10 innings): Seattle broke through for three runs in the 10th. Nelson Cruz capped the rally with a two-run homer.

Giants 8, Marlins 1: The Giants welcomed back Barry Bonds, but didn’t make the Marlins feel welcome at all. Jeff Samardzija shined on the hill, allowing one run over 7.2 innings. He also drove in three runs on a single and double.

Padres 4, Cardinals 1: Adam Wainwright falls to 0-3 after allowing three innings in six innings.

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