Kallet: For One Day, Mets' Harvey Was That Impressive Guy Again
By Brad Kallet
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This past Thursday, two days after he was lit up by the Nationals for five runs and eight hits, I wrote that it's hard to feel bad for Matt Harvey.
I stand by what I wrote, for all the reasons explained in that column. But that doesn't change the fact that I am rooting for the right-hander to rebound, to silence the critics and doubters and return to form.
After that horrific performance against Washington, I was very surprised that general manager Sandy Alderson and manager Terry Collins came out so quickly and said they'd give him another start. I didn't think he'd be sent down to Las Vegas, but a trip to the disabled list for his mental health rather than any physical ailment seemed like a reasonable expectation.
But Collins and the front office decided, promptly, to stand behind their bulldog of a pitcher and declare that he'd be on the mound for his next scheduled start.
That came on Monday, and Harvey answered the bell in a big way.
In the series opener against the White Sox, with arguably the worst Mets lineup of the season going up against the excellent Jose Quintana, Harvey took the ball against Robin Ventura's struggling squad.
The lineup, which featured Neil Walker hitting cleanup, followed by Wilmer Flores, Alejandro De Aza, Rene Rivera and Ty Kelly, predictably couldn't touch Quintana. Harvey would have to be almost perfect on this Memorial Day to keep the Mets in the game.
And he was almost perfect. Pitching on an extra days' rest -- New York was off on Thursday -- a dominant Harvey retired the first 13 White Sox he faced before J.B. Shuck hit a single to right in the fifth. The early innings haven't been an issue for Harvey. It has been the fifth and sixth innings, when he goes through the order a second time, that have plagued him.
Would it be the same old story? Would Harvey, in a scoreless game, lose his composure and make a couple of mistakes against a dangerous American League lineup?
The answer was an emphatic no. With the help of some fine defense from Flores, Harvey got Brett Lawrie, the next hitter, to line into a double play. Out of trouble, Harvey then retired the side in order in the sixth.
With the game still scoreless -- the Mets' offense had absolutely no answer for Quintana -- Harvey ran into some serious trouble in the seventh. After Adam Eaton walked to lead off the frame, Jose Abreu hit a seeing-eye single to move him to second. Melky Cabrera laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt, and suddenly Chicago had men in scoring position with one out for the incredibly dangerous Todd Frazier.
In what might have been the most impressive sequence of the season for Harvey, the 27-year-old right-hander went after Frazier instead of putting him on. The fireballer bore down and got the two-time All-Star to pop out to first. Not out of the woods yet, Harvey retired Shuck on a groundout to Asdrubal Cabrera and the Mets were out of the inning unscathed.
That would be all for Harvey, who walked off the field to a rousing round of applause. You might remember that the last time he retreated to the dugout at Citi Field, he was viciously booed.
It was vintage Harvey; shades of 2013, when the Connecticut kid started the All-Star Game and looked like a future top-five pitcher in baseball. His command was impressive on Monday -- striking out six and walking just one -- and he hit 98 mph on the radar gun, which was especially encouraging. He allowed only two hits and didn't surrender a run, lowering his ERA to 5.37.
In the bottom half of the seventh, Walker saved the day with a 397-foot homer from the right side, his 12th bomb of the season. The 1-0 lead would hold up for Harvey, as Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia pitched a perfect eighth and ninth inning, respectively.
A happy ending in Queens, but more significant than the much-needed win was the fact that Harvey resembled an ace for the first time all season.
So is he back? Do the Mets now have four No. 1 starters again, with Harvey joining Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Jacob deGrom?
The jury is still out, and Harvey needs to build on Monday's start and prove that it wasn't a fluke.
"This isn't going to really mean anything unless I continue it," a humbled Harvey, who earned his first win since May 8 in San Diego, said after the game.
He's right, and give him credit for staying composed, levelheaded and realistic. One start doesn't change everything, but it's certainly a step in the right direction. If nothing else, we were reminded on Monday that the Harvey we've grown accustomed to counting on, the one who can blow hitters away on a consistent basis and singlehandedly win games, still exists. He's still out there. It's still in him.
Matt Harvey can still be "The Dark Knight."
Assuming Collins keeps the rotation order as is and there are no injuries between now and next week, Harvey's next start will likely come against the Marlins in Miami next weekend. After that, he's lined up to face the Brewers. With a pair of favorable matchups on the horizon, Harvey has a chance to turn his season -- and the negative narrative about his status, his future and his arm -- around.
Brad Kallet is the managing editor of TENNIS.com and a frequent contributor to WFAN.com. Follow him on Twitter @brad_kallet
