Matt Harvey’s nightmare season continued Tuesday night with a rough start against the Nationals (WAS 7, NY 4). Washington pounded Harvey for five runs on eight hits (three homers) and two walks in five innings. He struck out only one.

Harvey ducked out of the clubhouse early following the game and did not talk to reporters. That predictably led to Harvey getting roasted by the New York media. Here’s a sample headline from the New York Post:

Ouch. That’s the sort of thing that happens when a star player struggles in New York and ducks out on the media though. Like it or not, they don’t take too kindly to that.

On Wednesday morning Harvey reported to Nationals Park for the series finale and immediately headed into manager Terry Collins’ office for a chat. What did the two talk about? Harvey declined to say afterwards.

Collins did however tell reporters Harvey will remain in the rotation. They’re not going to skip his next start — that would have been very easy to do with an off-day Thursday and another one next Thursday — and they’re not going to demote him to the minors.

It’s worth noting that because it has been more than three calendar years since Harvey’s MLB debut, sending him to Triple-A may not be possible. He would have to be exposed to optional waivers, and while those are revocable (the Mets could pull him back if claimed), another team could put in a claim to block them from sending Harvey to the minors.

The Mets could consider placing Harvey on the DL for a mental break as much as anything. Wednesday morning’s meeting could have been about such a scenario. And since Harvey is remaining in the rotation, it would seem he declined a DL stint if that was indeed discussed.

My guess is the meeting Wednesday morning was a simple “hey, don’t duck out on the media again” chat between the manager and his player. Harvey pitching poorly is bad enough. Creating a stir by not answering questions will only make matters worse.