Musings
Given his struggles as a starter of late, there have been growing calls to make Matt Harvey the closer for the Mets. Given how Harvey has pitched this season and how the Mets bullpen has performed, this may not be just an absurd fan overreaction to the struggles of a pitcher returning from season ending surgery last year to alleviate the effects of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS). In fact, you could argue the TOS could be part of the reasons for Harvey’s struggles, and why he needs to be moved to the bullpen.
The biggest case you can make for Harvey moving to the bullpen is his numbers. This season, Harvey is 4-3 with a 5.43 ERA, 1.484 WHIP, and a 6.8 K/9. It’s scary to think about, but Harvey is actually putting up numbers worse than the numbers he posted last year when everyone was wondering what was wrong with Harvey. The surgery that was supposed to fix Harvey hasn’t tangentially resulted in better numbers. Instead of getting stronger and better as the seasons has progressed, Harvey is regressing. In Harvey’s first four starts, he was 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA, 0.947 WHIP, and a 6.0 K/9 while averaging 6.1 innings per start. In his seven starts since, Harvey is 2-3 with a 7.25 ERA, 1.861 WHIP, and a 7.3 K/9.
Normally, you would take someone like this out of the rotation, but there was no one to put in Harvey’s stead. However, with Steven Matz and Seth Lugo coming off the Disabled List, and Robert Gsellman starting to return to form, the Mets have the avenue to move Harvey to the bullpen if they were so inclined. Putting aside for the moment whether they would be willing to do so, or whatever interference may be ran by Scott Boras, the question is whether such a move would make sense for the Mets.
Let’s start with the positive. According to Brooks Baseball, Harvey certainly has the velocity to be an elite bullpen arm. After the surgeries, he is averaging just under 95 MPH with his fastball. If given the opportunity to air it out for one or two innings, we could see him once again touch the high 90s he did back in 2013 and 2015. Even if he can’t, Harvey’s current velocity should be more than sufficient. A move to the bullpen would also allow Harvey to focus more on his two or three best pitches to get batters out.
And despite everything that has gone on, Harvey still has that grit and determination. Despite diminished stuff, Harvey bears down when he needs to most. Batters are hitting just .132 off Harvey this year with runners in scoring position. No one has gotten a hit off of Harvey this season with a runner in scoring position and no outs. This should come as no surprise. Harvey has always wanted to be the guy on the mound in those pressure situations, and he has consistently delivered in those situations. Certainly, Harvey has the stuff and the swagger to be a dominant late inning reliever.
Unfortunately, there is more evidence to suggest the bullpen is the wrong place for Harvey. Batters leading off an inning are hitting .327/.439/.709 off of Harvey. In high leverage situations, batters are hitting .273/.368/.545 off of Harvey. In Harvey’s first 25 pitches of a game, batters are hitting .241/.353/.534 off of him. More than any of this, Harvey has been more than susceptible to the long ball. In all but one of his starts, Harvey has allowed a home run, and he has allowed 1.9 homers per nine innings.
The biggest reason for all of these struggles is Harvey is having difficulty putting batters away. His strikeouts are way down this season as batters are either fouling off his pitches, or they are better able to take a pitch they would have felt inclined to swing at two or more years ago. In fact, Harvey has a career high 4.7 BB/9.
Overall, Harvey isn’t putting guys away, he’s walking them, and he’s giving up a lot more home runs. That’s not a recipe for success in the bullpen.
And yet, the Mets need to do something. Maybe emulating post-Tommy John surgery John Smoltz is the way to go. For those that forget, Smoltz was suffering from the same issues Harvey is now. He found himself in the bullpen, became a dominant reliever, and he would return to the rotation to be a good starter once again.
Given Harvey’s early season struggles, it might be time to try something different. It might be time to at least try him in the bullpen for at least the short term just to try to help him find himself. If a Hall of Famer like Smoltz accepted the move, everyone else should be willing as well. Harvey included.
For much of the 2017 season, the presumption is Michael Conforto was going to be the Mets lone representative on the All Star team. The reason for this was because across the diamond the other Mets players were either injured or underachieving. While there was a point in time you could have made a case for Jay Bruce, his lackluster play in May pretty much put that discussion to bed. If you dig a little deeper, you’ll notice Lucas Duda is having a terrific year. The question is if he’s done enough in his 140 plate appearances to merit consideration for the All Star Game.
Since coming off the Disabled List, Duda is hitting .286/.389/.610 with seven doubles, six homers, and 14 RBI. Believe it or not, these numbers are only slightly than Duda’s stats for the season. Overall, Duda is hitting .269/.379/.597 with nine doubles, 10 homers, and 21 RBI. With they way Duda has been hitting this year, he has a 157 OPS+, 155 wRC+, and a 1.3 WAR. If he continued this production, this would be a career year for Duda. But, is it enough to merit being named an All Star.
Well, there is a case to be made. Among players with at least 140 plate appearances, Duda is tied for third in the National League with a 155 wRC+. He is also third in slugging percentage. When you consider he is behind Freddie Freeman, who will miss the All Star Game with a fractured left wrist, Duda’s case becomes all the more compelling. However, when you begin to look at the bigger picture, it becomes much more difficult to make a case for Duda.
In terms of the more traditional counting stats, Duda lags behind the leaders. His 10 homers is only 12th best in the National League, and his 21 RBI rank dead last among National League first baseman who have 140 plate appearances. Of course, the main reason for this is Duda lags behind the leaders in these categories is because he missed 18 games due to a hyper-extended elbow. While he was on the Disabled List, players like Eric Thames and even Brandon Belt were putting some distance between themselves and Duda. Ultimately, this missed time is also a reason why Duda’s 1.2 WAR is really only good for ninth among National League first baseman. When you’re ninth in a category like WAR, it is hard to justify making you an All Star even if you are currently the second best hitter at the position in the National League.
There’s also the issue of there being room for him on the roster. Last year, the National League had four first baseman on the roster. Off the bat, we know Ryan Zimmerman is going to be an All Star with the first half he’s had. There is no way you can leave Paul Goldschmidt off the roster as he’s having another great year. The same goes for Joey Votto. Throw in a terrific comeback to the United States for Thames and another good year from Anthony Rizzo, and you’re really hard pressed to find room for Duda.
Still, none of this detracts from the fact Duda has been an absolute monster at the plate of late, nor does it detract from the impact he has had on this Mets lineup. So no, Duda is not an All Star. That shouldn’t detract from the season he is having, and it doesn’t change the fact that when he’s in the lineup, he is a difference maker for the Mets. All Star or not, Duda is having a good year that should be celebrated by Mets fans.
Look, if the Mets are being honest with us, and they’re not, they would say they will not consider promoting Amed Rosario to the majors until they are comfortable he would not be a Super Two player. If Rosario were to be a Super Two player, he would be eligible for arbitration a year earlier. That would have financial ramifications for both as it would increase his salary from the $500 – $600,000 range to the millions of dollars. If he’s going to be as special as we think he is, he will be an expensive player very quickly.
The issue with the Super Two cutoff is it is a moving target. It is given to the top 22% of players who have between two to three years of service time. That leaves the date a moving target because it is dependent on when teams have called up their prospects. Therefore, pinpointing the exact date is an inexact science. In hazarding a guess, the best thing we can do is to look at when the date has been in prior years. According to MLB Trade Rumors, that is as follows:
| Year | Service Time | Date |
| 2015 | 2.130 | May 27th |
| 2014 | 2.133 | May 18th |
| 2013 | 2.122 | May 30th |
| 2012 | 2.140 | May 16th |
| 2011 | 2.146 | May 5th |
| 2010 | 2.122 | June 3rd |
| 2009 | 2.139 | May 18th |
If history is any guide, the Super Two cut-off has already passed. Over the past seven years, the Super Two cutoff has been 133 days. With the regular season ending on October 1st, the Super Two cutoff would have been on May 18th. Even the most conservative estimate would peg the cutoff date at June 4th, which was yesterday. Therefore, realistically speaking, the Mets can call-up Rosario now and avoid his becoming a Super Two player.
Now, the Super Two cutoff is just one barrier. The other barrier is the Mets willingness to displace Asdrubal Cabrera and Jose Reyes. This is a more significant barrier than you could anticipate with Terry Collins recently saying, “It helps that Jose swung better, getting on base.” (Zach Braziller, New York Post). Collins made those statements with Reyes hitting .216/.280/.330 in the Month of May. Collins backed up those statements by continuously hitting Reyes second in the lineup.
But if the Mets were really serious about contending in 2017, they would call-up Rosario now. Cabrera’s Luis Castillo impression is the latest example of how he’s no longer defensively capable of handling the position. He has not had a positive UZR in any full season in the majors, and he has not posted a positive DRS since 2008. While he can’t play shortstop well, that doesn’t mean the Mets should take his bat out of the lineup. He’s a second half player who showed everyone last year he’s capable of carrying an offense. Rather, the Mets should move him to third where he would be better suited. This would have the added advantage of putting Reyes on the bench.
Overall, with the Super Two deadline likely having passed, the Mets are out of excuses for not calling up Rosario. With each passing day Rosario is not called up to the majors, it’s a signal the Mets are contempt with the lineup they are putting out there on a daily basis.
Now, I was not at the ballpark when it happened, and like most people, I first became aware of it when it was posted on Twitter. But like everyone else, I was surprised to see Mr. Met flipping everyone off. You know who wasn’t surprised? The people sitting in the section as they were ready with their phones:
@Mets ??? pic.twitter.com/tYuSIp8gCG
— Tony T (@tonyt3535) June 1, 2017
Unless you are a little kid, why are you filming Mr. Met heading into the tunnel? It makes no sense unless you are waiting for Mr. Met to flip you off. The most likely scenario was Mr. Met was being heckled to a certain degree, and everyone was waiting for the reaction. Much to their delight, they got that reaction . . . on film.
Now, the person who took the video claims there was no provocation. In a New York Post article by Adam Rubin, the person who took the video said, “I just asked for a high-five. Nothing provoked it.” While he might not have been the provocateur, someone in the area must have been because it is hard to believe a professional mascot flips over a request for a high five. One thing I do find suspicious about the take is if you re-watch the video, you don’t hear anyone asking for a high five. All you see is the mascot flipping the bird. This is either a conspicuously cropped video, or terrific timing.
In fact, in a Zach Braziller’s New York Post article paints a much different picture. A fan in the area, who was also a friend of Mr. Met said, “Mr. Met was being heckled all night from those fans, and security spoke to the fans about it after Mr. Met’s handler spoke up. I do know that the fans were cursing at Mr. Met with the F-word and saying derogatory things about Mr. Met’s mom …. which led to the gesture because of a personal matter with his mom.”
Basically, people were there antagonizing a mascot. To what end, who knows? If reports are true, they’re awful people who could have potentially played a part in that person losing their job. Instead of getting talked to by security, they should have been removed from the game. There’s not place for badgering someone and cursing at someone until they snap. There’s fun and games, and there’s crossing a line. Clearly, people went well over the line.
Sure, the person playing Mr. Met deserved whatever discipline was coming their way. He has to be better than that especially knowing people are always armed with their phones. More than that, he’s there mostly to entertain children. You have to be better than that. You’re a professional. Fortunately for him, he was reassigned instead of fired leaving someone else to take play the part.
Hopefully, whoever that person is now, they get treated better by fans. At the very least, hopefully that person has a longer fuse.
No one should expect a manager to publicly criticize his players. We also shouldn’t exactly anticipate a manager will be 100% honest in his responses. Still, there are times when a manager gives answers to honest questions, and he reveals part of himself. When Terry Collins does this, the answers are downright scary.
Zach Braziller of the New York Post posited a question to Collins if the Mets would platoon Jay Bruce, Michael Conforto, and Curtis Granderson when Yoenis Cespedes returns. Collins’ answer to the question was he thought Conforto is tiring. This is a nonsense.
In the Month of May, Conforto hit .314/.426/.627 with nine doubles, a triple, seven homers, and 21 RBI. Over the last two weeks, he is hitting .333/.472/.643. But sure, he’s the one who’s tiring. Not Bruce who is hitting .210/.296/.430 with seven doubles, five homers, and 19 RBI in May. Over the last two weeks, Bruce is hitting .214/.300/.429.
There is a world of acceptable answers to this question including Terry’s favorite, “You hit, you play.” Maybe he’s abandoned it because he really doesn’t follow the mantra especially when he’s batting Jose Reyes second and Bruce third in the lineup. Speaking of Reyes, Collins had a doozy of an answer about Reyes:
TC on Reyes role in #mets offense in May: "It helps that Jose swung better, getting on base." May numbers: .216/.280/.330. .610 OPS.
— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) June 1, 2017
Seriously, how can anyone have anything positive to say about Reyes’ play this season? He’s been a bad baseball player. Among the everyday players, Reyes has the worst batting average, OBP, slugging, OPS+, wRC+, and WAR. You name it, and he’s bad at it. About the only thing you can say about Reyes is he leads the Mets in stolen bases with six. Despite all of this, Reyes bats second in the lineup instead of playing the Eric Young, Jr. role as a pinch runner.
Given his managerial decisions, Collins’ answers have given insight into what he really believes to be true. Somehow he believes Conforto is the player who is tired, and Reyes is getting on base. It really makes you question if he’s actually watching the games.
Mets games have just become the theater of the absurd. Noah Syndergaard refuses an MRI and then leaves his next start with a torn lat. Matt Harvey doesn’t show up to every game. Kevin Plawecki apparently is kinkier than we think. Mr. Met is walking through Citi Field flipping off the fans. Today? Well, for the Mets, it was more of the same.
In the fourth, the Brewers got a rally going on a couple of base hits including a Jonathan Villar single that deflected off Zack Wheeler. After a Nick Franklin RBI single, the Brewers had a 2-0 lead and runners on first and second. Brewers pitcher Chase Anderson squared to bunt and popped it up in front of home plate. Travis d’Arnaud went to let it drop in the hopes of starting a double play. Instead, he hesitated after picking the ball up, and he couldn’t get an out. In a normal baseball game, this would be a fairly event filled inning. Not the Mets.
Eric Sogard would pop up in fair ground in what should have been the second out in the inning. Instead the ball boy ran directly into Wilmer Flores‘ arm causing him to drop the ball:
Milwaukee batboy bet the Brewers to beat the Mets today. pic.twitter.com/RQYTYWzUWG
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) June 1, 2017
Same old Mets. Fortunately, Wheeler settled down, and he was able to induce Sogard to hit into the inning ending double play. It was one of three double plays the Brewers would hit into on the day. The double plays would allow Wheeler to go deep into the game. He would throw 102 pitches over 6.1 innings allowing 1o hits, two runs, two earned, and one walk with six strikeouts. He departed the game down 2-0 with a runner left on second base.
Jerry Blevins got the job done getting Sogard to ground out by striking Eric Thames out.
Unfortunately, it didn’t matter as the Mets offense did nothing against the Brewers starter for the second straight game. Lucas Duda (2-3) and d’Arnaud (1-2) were the entirety of the Mets offense on the day. To be shut down yesterday by Junior Guerra is one thing. Getting shut down today by Anderson is another.
While the Mets offense was inept, the pitching was doing its job. That includes the bullpen. After Blevins bailed out Wheeler, he got into some trouble of his own in the eighth leaving runners on first and second with no outs. Fernando Salas came on and he got the Mets out of the jam striking out three batters.
In the eighth, the Brewers went to Jacob Barnes. On the first pitch he threw, Flores launched a home run to deep left field to cut the score to 2-1. Unfortunately, it was not the start of a comeback, but rather a single flare that went unheeded by the rest of the Mets offense leading to a 2-1 loss. Case in point, Reyes and Jay Bruce took back-to-back strikeouts looking to start the ninth against Brewers closer Corey Knebel.
This was an extremely winnable game, and the Mets let it slip through their fingers. For a team fighting just to get back to .500, they can’t keep doing this. It’s losses like this that have put them in this position, and it is losses like this that will sink their season.
Game Notes: Asdrubal Cabrera got the day off, and Jose Reyes moved from third to shortstop for the day game.
Let’s be honest. With nearly two months gone in the season, there is not a lot of reason to believe in the 2017 Mets. The team is five games under .500 and just 14-16 against their own division. Important players like Yoenis Cespedes, Jeurys Familia, Steven Matz, Noah Syndergaard and David Wright have had extended stints on the disabled list. Presumably, Familia, Syndergaard, and Wright are done for the season. The team features two everyday players who are fighting to get and stay atop the Mendoza Line, and the entire pitching staff has underperformed. And despite all of these problems, and many more which have not been mentioned, there are very real reasons to be optimistic about the Mets as we head into the summer months:
1. The Starting Pitching Is Improving
In case, you haven’t noticed the Mets are no longer have the worst ERA in all of baseball. A huge reason for that is the starting pitching is not only improving, but they are also pitching deeper into games. That has started with the re-emergence of Jacob deGrom. Before last night’s debacle, in his last two starts, deGrom pitched 15.1 innings allowing just one earned run. He threw down the gauntlet, and the other starting pitchers have responded.
The Mets are now starting to put together quality starts with some regularity. Matt Harvey and Robert Gsellman are coming off their best starts in over a month. Zack Wheeler continues to pregress well in his first season in over two years. Matz and Seth Lugo will soon join the rotation. As we have seen time and again, this team goes as its pitching goes, and the pitching is trending in the right direction.
2. The Bullpen Is Settling Down
With the starters failing to go deep into games and Familia essentially being a non-factor this season, the bullpen has struggled. The struggles stem from both overwork and trying to slot guys into different roles than had previously been anticipated. With the starters going deeper, the bullpen is starting to get some rest, and the bullpen is starting to look better.
Another factor is the emergence of Paul Sewald. A player the Mets were willing to risk losing in the Rule 5 Draft has now become the Mets most important reliever. He has been used for multiple innings and to nail down the eighth inning. He has shown his success in Vegas was no fluke pitching to a 2.21 ERA in 20.1 innings. His emergence has allowed Terry Collins to ease up on some of his other relievers.Salas has responded by lowering his ERA by almost two runs in the month of May, has not blown one lead, and he has not allowed an earned run in 11 of his last 14 appearances. A rejuvenated Salas is good for the Mets.
Another key factor is the composition of the bullpen. Rafael Montero is gone. Neil Ramirez is on his way out as well. He should be gone once Hansel Robles figures things out in Vegas and/or Gsellman is moved to the bullpen with the return of Matz and Lugo from the disabled list. Certainly, the composition of arms is going to be much better down there, and with the starters going deeper, they will be better rested.
3. Help Is On The Way
As noted, Matz and Lugo will soon rejoin the rotation. Behind them, we may also see Robles return to the majors prompting the Mets to send down one of the more ineffective arms in Ramirez and/or Josh Smoker. But it’s not just on the pitching side that the Mets will improve, it’s also on the offensive side.
According to various reports, Cespedes is about 7-1o days away. When he returns, the Mets will be adding an MVP caliber player to play alongside Michael Conforto in the outfield, who is having an MVP caliber season himself. Cespedes not only lengthens the lineup, but he also adds a right-handed power threat which the lineup is sorely lacking right now. While the offense isn’t the issue so far, a team that is fighting to not only get back to .500, but also to get back to the postseason needs to upgrade everywhere it can.
It’s more than Cespedes. At some point, the moving target that is the Super Two deadline is going to comfortably pass clearing yet another hurdle for the Mets to call-up Amed Rosario. If Rosario does get called-up, it would significantly improve the Mets infield defense, and it could also improve the lineup. Through his first 50 games, Rosario is hitting .354/.393/.519 with 13 doubles, three triples, five homers, and 37 RBI.
With all that, there is legitimate reason for hope the Mets will be a better team over the final four months of the season. That team could catch the Nationals in the standings especially when you consider the two teams have 13 games against one another remaining. That is enough games to make-up the 9.5 game gap between the teams in the standings. That goes double when you consider the Nationals have bullpen issues of their own, and they are just 15-12 since losing Adam Eaton for the season.
If the Mets play as well as they can play, this is going to be an exciting summer at Citi Field. If the Mets play the way they are capable, this will soon become a pennant race.
Heading into this season, it seems like Wilmer Flores had crafted a role for himself as a platoon player. Flores has just absolutely killed left-handed pitching. Since 2015 when Flores was handed the starting shortstop job, Flores has hit .335/.377/.661 against left-handed pitching. Essentially, he’s Babe Ruth when there is a left-handed pitcher on the mound.
Unfortunately, as good as Flores has been against left-handed pitching, he has been that poor against right-handed pitching. In the same time frame, Flores has hit .248/.286/.358 off right-handed pitching. Whereas he’s Ruth with a left-handed pitcher on the mound, he’s Ruben Tejada at the plate when there is a right-handed pitcher on the mound. Because Flores is a poor defender out there, you can really justify using him in a platoon type of role. Now, there are many a careers made out of being that type of a player. As we have already seen with Flores, you can still be a revered player with a fan base being that type of a player.
But, Flores is a 25 year old player. He should want to be more than that, and at his age, he is capable of doing more than that. Certainly, he is paired with a hitting coach in Kevin Long who has helped other players, namely Neil Walker, to figure out how to become more of a platoon neutral bat. Looking at Flores this month, it appears as if he is starting to turn the corner against right-handed pitching.
Over the past month, Flores is hitting .380/.415/.520 with four doubles, a homer, and 11 RBI in 53 at-bats against right-handed pitching. Now, given the numbers, it is hard to treat this more than a fluky small sample size result. Flores’ .417 BABIP would seem to indicate that. There’s also the matter of who Flores is facing. Over the past month, he’s done his damage against pitchers like Jarred Cosart, Jesse Chavez, Tom Koehler, Matt Cain, and Matt Garza. This isn’t exactly Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz.
And yet, you can only face the pitchers the other team puts on the mound. The fact that Flores is hitting well against them is a credit to him, especially when you consider he may not have hit them as well in prior seasons. This also might be part of Flores’ maturation as a hitter. This year, he is pulling the ball more and striking out less. He appears to be more selective at the plate, especially against right-handed pitching. While you can’t expect Flores to hit .380 against right-handed pitching, it’s possible he could hit them well enough to play everyday.
In fact, this isn’t Flores first good stretch against right-handed pitching. With the injuries last year, Flores was unexpectedly thrust into an everyday role. Before he went out with his own injury, Flores was improving against right-handed pitching. During the month of June, he hit .267/.328/.433 off right-handed pitching. After slumping against right-handed pitching in July, Flores picked it back up again in August hitting .273/.313/.386. No, these are not outstanding numbers, but they are an improvement of his career .255/.289/.374 line against right-handed pitching.
Certainly, Flores has earned the right to show the Mets how much of the past month is a fluke. David Wright isn’t walking through that door anytime soon. Jose Reyes is hitting .202/.274/.326 for the season and .228/.287/.358 in the month of May. Also, for those wanting to keep Flores on the bench against right-handed pitching, Reyes is hitting .205/.269/.315 against right-handed pitching. Considering the option right now is between Reyes and Flores, the Mets have to go with Flores now.
If nothing else, Flores presents the Mets with something Reyes can’t – upside. Flores is a young player who could be coming into his own right now. However, we won’t know if that’s the case unless we see him play. Considering the alternatives, it’s time to make Flores the everyday third baseman and finally find out what Flores is as a major league player.
Aside from some day baseball and some grilling, it is Memorial Day, a day to remember and honor those service men and women who have died while defending our country. From a baseball perspective that is more than the camouflage jerseys the teams are wearing this long weekend. It includes the 12 MLB brethren that have died in action including Bob Neighbors, Harry O’Neill, Elmer Gedeon, Bun Troy, Ralph Sharman, Newt Halliday, Eddie Grant, Harry Grant, Larry Chappell, Harry Chapman, Tom Burr, and Bill Stearns. This list does not include MLB players who put their careers on hold and had both their lives and careers forever affected. Namely, there was Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson who was exposed to mustard gas during World War I.
In every family, there is a Fog. Remember them and honor them today. Visit their grave sites (should they be in the US), which are adorned with American flags today. It is the least we can do for these brave and fallen heroes on this day.
Whenever he takes the mound, the biggest story in any Mets game is going to be Matt Harvey. Part of the reason is Harvey is a lightning rod. The main reason is the Mets need Harvey to be good if they have any hopes to get back to .500 and then back into the NL East race. If we get the Harvey we saw tonight, there is a chance.
Now, this wasn’t the Harvey of 2013 or even 2015. Heck, this wasn’t even the Harvey of April. This was a Harvey still trying to find himself and succeeding more than he has been. We saw some things from his struggles this year that gave you some pause as to how this game would progress. First, there is his propensity to give up the long ball as evidenced by the Gregory Polanco second inning home run. There is the command as shown by Harvey’s two walks. Then, there is the inability to really put batters away. Tonight, he had only four strikeouts.
And yet, there was a Harvey emerging that could be a good pitcher again. The one thing that stood out was his ability to limit the damage. The biggest example of this was the fourth inning. The Mets had a narrow 2-1 lead, and the Pirates had a rally going. David Freese hit a one out infield singles, and Andrew McCutchen followed with his own single. As if this wasn’t enough, Harvey threw a wild pitch putting runners on second and third with one out. Harvey responded by striking out Francisco Cervelli and Jordy Mercer to end the inning.
Overall, Harvey threw 102 pitches over six innings. It was his longest outing in over a month, and it was his second straight win. It might’ve been due to a weak Pirates lineup. It could be Harvey is getting back to becoming a reliable pitcher. Whatever it is, the Mets should take it right now.
The Mets will also take the seven runs they got tonight. The biggest source of those runs came from the three players who would be most affected by the return of Yoenis Cespedes – Jay Bruce, Lucas Duda, and Curtis Granderson. Bruce showed signs of getting out of his May funk going 3-5 with a run, two doubles, and an RBI. Granderson, hitting lead-off with Michael Conforto getting the night off, had hit first three hit game of the season going 3-5 with a run, double, and an RBI. Duda homered in his second straight game, and third out of the last four games.
Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera also collected RBI hits in what was an easy 7-2 victory. Overall, the only thing that put a damper on the night was Terry Collins‘ handling of the bullpen. With a five run lead in the seventh, he turned to Paul Sewald for two innings making him unavailable again for a few days. It wasn’t until the ninth that he used Neil Ramirez, and Ramirez struggled enough to lead to Jerry Blevins having to warm up in yet another game.
Still, the Mets took two out of three in the series. It was a step in the right direction and another step towards .500. Sooner of later, the Mets are going to have to stop giving games away, and they are going to have to turn some of these series victories into sweeps. Still, it was a good win leaving the team on a good note as they head back to Citi Field.
Game Notes: This was the Mets first win on a Sunday since their first Sunday game of the season. For the second straight game, a Mets pitcher failed to get down a sacrifice bunt. Juan Lagares was the only Mets starter without a hit.