LEFTY NOT-SO SPECIAL
Blevins yields crushing HR to Harper as struggles continue
Jerry Blevins has struggled against left-handed batters all season, but on Thursday Mickey Callaway still had confidence that he could get Bryce Harper out with a runner on in the seventh in a one-run game.
He didn’t. Instead, Harper smashed a 1-0 fastball that Blevins threw over the heart of the plate 382 feet into the right-center field seats for a two-run home run. The blast gave the Nationals a 5-2 lead and proved to be the difference in a 5-4 loss for the Mets.
“I think Jerry’s been throwing the ball really well lately,” Callaway said. “Obviously, Harper’s one of the better players in the league. Has a lot of power and hits homers and just didn’t make a good pitch.”
It is true that Blevins had been more reliable of late. Aside from getting an unusual start to pitch the first two innings against the Dodgers on June 24 in which he allowed two runs, the 34-year-old lefty specialist had allowed just one run in his last 10 bullpen appearances since June 2.
Yet Blevins still entered the game with lefties hitting .318 against him (14-for-44) in 51 plate appearances with two home runs before Harper added another one Thursday at Citi Field.
“I think I’m trying to be too fine,” Blevins said. “I understand I’m here to get lefties out, and every pitch I’m trying to make it perfect. It’s clearly not happening. I think just look at some film, see where I’m starting some pitches — that kinda thing — and just trust myself, the ability to throw strikes. You see the comfort level against a righty in there, just got to do the same against lefties.”
Harper, who entered the game with just five of his 22 home runs off left-handers this season, said his approach was simple.
“Just trying to get a pitch over the plate and not miss it,” Harper said. “That’s pretty much it, just trying to have a good at-bat in that situation and I was able to get a pitch over and do some damage.”
While Harper’s home run came on a fastball down the middle, Callaway pointed to Blevins’ curveball while discussing the bigger picture on why his lefty specialist has struggled against lefties this year.
“He used to have a shorter, quicker one he threw for strikes, a sweeping one that got a little bigger, get them out front,” Callaway said. “Just hasn’t had that ability that much this year.”