Jake on track for Subway start
PHILADELPHIA — Jacob deGrom threw his regularly scheduled bullpen session Saturday and said he plans to throw his second on Sunday. The righthander is on track to make his next start after taking a line drive off the back of his upper right arm.
“It was good and I will do it again tomorrow,” deGrom said after the workout at Citizens Bank Park.
DeGrom is scheduled to start the second game of the Subway Series, Tuesday night in the Bronx.
The Mets right-hander had thrown 6.2 scoreless innings Thursday night when Nick Williams’ 99-mph line drive came back and hit him on the back of his rightupper arm in the triceps area.
He was diagnosed with a bruise. JOHN HEALY/DAILY NEWS WAPPINGER FALLS — Matt Harvey took the first step back to returning to the Mets on Saturday, but he still has plenty of work to do.
The right-hander threw 18 pitches — 11 balls and seven strikes — allowing one walk, a hit and a run in just one inning of work in his rehab start with the Brooklyn Cyclones against the Hudson Valley Renegades at Dutchess County Stadium.
It was Harvey’s first time on the mound since he was shut down on June 16 with soreness in his arm, stemming from the Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery he had last year.
“It was good,” Harvey said. “Obviously a little rusty but I think that was kind of expected from me going in. I haven’t faced any hitters for two months now, but everything feels great. The arm feels great, which is what the goal was to come up here.”
Harvey threw mostly fastballs, with his velocity reportedly reaching 93 miles per hour, but the right-hander struggled with his command from the very beginning, walking the first batter on four straight pitches.
“You get a game situation and you’re kind of going off bullpens and … it’s a completely different aspect of the game,” Harvey said. “This is the first rehab start I’ve ever done. I’m just trying to figure out how to go about your business getting work done and getting your arm where you need to be and focusing on getting your rhythm and timing back.”
Harvey is scheduled to meet with the team in Philadelphia on Sunday, where he said he will find out the next step.
Pitching coach Dan Warthen told the Daily News on Saturday that he will likely pitch a side session in three days.
Harvey, who was 4-3 with a 5.25 ERA before landing on the disabled list, will likely need multiple starts before returning to the majors.
“It’s hard to go out there for one inning and know you have one inning to throw and really work on everything,” he said. game him the pristine authenticated ball.
“We had to get Rosy his first home run ball,” reliever Erik Goeddel said.
“And we had to have a little fun with him first,” Bones said. “But I think that’s exciting for the next time out and kind of stretch things out and concentrate on that.”
While the Mets have fallen out of the playoff picture, it’s still important for the team to get the 28-year-old pitcher healthy.
He last made 20 starts in a season in 2015, and if the team plans to contend next year they will need a healthy and effective Harvey.
“I don’t want to get back unless I’m ready to compete and give the team innings and get back and be healthy,” Harvey said. “It’s a process and I want to get back as quick as I possibly can.”
Despite the challenges he faces on the road back, just the fact that he is pitching again this season is a win, Warthen said before Harvey took the mound for the Cyclones.
“It’s a big step. A good one,” Warthen said.
“Just getting back out there on the mound is a success for him tonight.” — With Kristie Ackert in
Philadelphia guard and hitters away from strengths and I thought the last start was a huge step for him He has the stuff to pitch here.”
And the Mets, who have already shifted from the 2017 season to start preparing for 2018, need him to show that. He needs to show the front office that he can be a guy they can call up in an emergency next season and that he can be a part of their team in the future.
“As we experienced this year, you never know what’s going to happen,” Collins said. “You want to have your name at the top of the list if something happens. You are a guy that can replace someone if they go down. Especially, this month, I always look at this month more than September. In September you face teams with a lot of young players, you’re not playing playoff teams, it’s really tough to really judge them. The month of August is very important. If (the young players) finish strong this month, I think it will be a real big step as we head into the off season.”