Knight club outing isn’t a good look

SANDY Alderson sounds annoyed that Matt Harvey has found himself back in the gossip pages, or at least that he must answer questions about the erstwhile Dark Knight’s off-field whereabouts once again. But are the Mets perturbed enough that they will consider cutting bait with the former All-Star hurler before the season is even over if Harvey doesn’t embrace and conquer this last-chance experiment to reinvent himself in the bullpen?

Harvey, who was suspended for three games by the Mets for not showing up to a game last May, was spotted spending a late night out at a Beverly Hills club during the team’s recent road trip to the west coast, according to a published report.

The demoted starting pitcher tossed an inning out of the bullpen the following night in San Diego, allowing a solo home run to Franchy Cordero.

Alderson publicly offered a partial free pass on Tuesday, but this clearly was not viewed as the optimal look for a player already on thin ice with the organization.

“I think it can be a problem if it affects a player or a pitcher’s preparation for work the following day or the following several days. I’m not sure that was the case here,” Alderson said before the Mets’ series opener against Atlanta. “He pitched that Friday night. I know he gave up a home run, but otherwise he looked pretty good.

“I think the other thing that I’ve tried to keep in mind is that pitching out of the bullpen is different than pitching out of the rotation, and part of the preparation for that role is recognizing that you could pitch any day at any time. And as a result, you have to be a little more conscientious about what else is going on in your life in order to be prepared on a moment’s notice to pitch. I think that’s part of the realization that maybe he’s had over the last few days. So to answer your question as succinctly as I can, yeah, it could be a problem. But I don’t think it was in this case.”

Asked directly if he was upset by the report, Alderson then responded: “Usually I get upset if a report is unexpected. So I guess the short answer is no.”

Alderson could have answered these questions in various sugarcoated ways if he simply wanted to dismiss all of this as a non-story.

If nothing else, however, the GM’s response reinforced the point that Harvey’s sole focus needs to be on the mound, especially if the goal is to reclaim the starting role he relinquished four starts into the new season.

While a breakup after the season seems inevitable, the Mets could attempt to trade Harvey or designate the pending free agent for assignment this summer – which a team source told Daily News beat writer Kristie Ackert isn’t under consideration at this time.

They invested heavily in a manager and pitching coach with proven track records of fixing and maximizing a pitching staff, and one week into the experiment to get Harvey right — and possibly reestablish some of his trade value — hardly makes this the time for such moves.

“I would say at this point I think what (Harvey) understands is that, yes, this is an opportunity to get back to the rotation,” Alderson said. “But in order to get there, there are some intermediate steps and one of them is pitching well out of the bullpen, and at the same time working on various aspects of his game that will translate once again into a starting role.”

Interestingly, Alderson stressed that he hadn’t even spoken directly to Harvey about the L.A. story, although manager Mickey Callaway did acknowledge addressing the poor optics of the situation with the former All-Star hurler.

“I’ve talked to Matt. It is bad in the sense that it’s getting publicity and Matt has to be aware of that — that the things he does, right or wrong, are gonna be brought to the forefront,” Callaway said. “We have to make sure that it’s never a distraction to what we’re trying to do as a team.

“He walked me through the circumstances and it wasn’t a big deal. It definitely didn’t interfere with how he was going to pitch the next day.”

Of course, the 29-year-old Harvey already had apologized publicly last May for skipping a game following a late night out, saying he was “extremely embarrassed for my actions.” arvey was demoted to the bullpen earlier this month after continuing to pitch poorly as a starter after undergoing Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery and an additional shoulder procedure in recent years. Last week in St. Louis, he also cursed at reporters when approached one day after his initial relief appearance, and he declined comment following Tuesday’s loss to the Braves.

“Matt has to understand that people always notice what he does,” Alderson said. “It’s like a borderline pitch (for a hitter). In his case, it always gets called a strike. So he probably learned something from it.”

He had better, or his days with the Mets could be numbered.

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