Matt Harvey looks to build on breakthrough outing
New York Mets right-hander Matt Harvey has made 80 starts — including four in the postseason — during his career, and every one of them has been an event unto itself.
That will be the case again on Sunday as Harvey looks to build on his best outing of the season on Memorial Day against the Chicago White Sox.
This time, Harvey will take on the division rival Miami Marlins in the MLB Free Game of the Day on Yahoo Sports. You can stream the game at Yahoo’s Sports Home, MLB index and video home beginning at 1:10 p.m. ET.
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The reasons why Harvey’s starts are events are easy to understand. Harvey was the seventh overall pick in 2010 amateur draft, which indicates the hype train was already in motion before his name was even called. Then add in the bright lights of New York. Then add a personality that lends itself to a media market hungry for front page news and page views. Then add in his fast rise to the big leagues, his early success, followed by an elbow injury and the healthy doses of drama that followed that.
It has been a whirlwind six years on many levels, and throughout it all Harvey has remained firmly under the microscope. Never more so than now though, since Harvey has gone through the first extended stretch of ineffectiveness as a professional pitcher. Over his first 10 starts this season, Harvey posted a 3-7 record to go with a robust 6.08 ERA. That included back-to-back brutal outings against the Washington Nationals that had everyone speculating what the Mets would do with him.
The Mets solution was to remain patient while focusing on his mechanics. That paid off in his outing against the White Sox. Harvey pitched seven shutout innings in a 1-0 win, allowing two singles and striking out six. It was the first time Harvey reached the seventh inning this season, and he did so in an efficient 87 pitches.
That’s the breakthrough the Mets were looking for. Now we wait to see if Harvey has truly turned a corner, or if there are kinks left to be worked.
“I think this is a first step,” Harvey said following Monday’s outing. “Obviously what I did here today isn’t going to mean anything if I don’t continue it the next time I pitch and stay with what I’ve been working on. It’s a work in progress. I’m just happy I was able to go out there and feel comfortable in my mechanics and get the job done.”
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The recent references to mechanics should give Mets fans hope that the issue is fixable and is not related to Harvey’s arm. The fact he registered his three hardest pitches of the season on Monday supports that too.
If his fastball is zipping again on Sunday, Mets fans will be relieved, and the rest of us will be in for a treat. Harvey will square off against Jose Fernandez, which based on reputation and hype is one of the best pitching matchups possible.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
