A STEP IN THE KNIGHT DIRECTION
ARVEY GOES SIX STRONG AS METS STEAMROLL PIRATES: PUMA, DAVIDOFF
PITTSBURGH — Finally there were tangible results to support the Mets’ recent claims that Matt Harvey is improving.
After weeks of Mets officials offering vague reassurances their former ace still had it, Harvey took the mound Sunday night and had maybe his finest performance of 2017. And with it came the crown, given to the Mets’ top performer in a win.
“I didn’t think I was going to wear it pretty much all year, but it fits nice,” Harvey said after the Mets beat the Pirates 7-2 at PNC Park.
Harvey (4-3) lasted six innings — his longest outing since April 21 — and allowed one earned run on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts. The Mets certainly welcomed such an outing, adding to Jacob deGrom’s dominance on Friday and Zack Wheeler’s solid performance a night later that was wasted with Addison Reed’s implosion in the ninth inning.
Harvey, who is still attempting to build momentum following last year’s surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, won his second straight start, but unlike Tuesday, when he walked four batters over five innings against the Padres, his control wasn’t a problem.
“We’ve been talking about it, he doesn’t have to throw 97 [mph] to get people out and tonight he showed that,” manager Terry Collins said. “He showed command of his stuff, best curveball I have seen him have in a year. I thought he mixed his pitches extremely well and I’m very happy for him.”
Travis d’Arnaud cited Harvey’s demeanor on the mound.
“It looked like he was taking it pitch by pitch — good or bad,” the Mets catcher said.
Maybe the best sign came in the sixth, when Harvey rebounded from a walk to Francisco Cervelli with two outs and retired Jordy Mercer to complete his night’s work at 102 pitches. In his previous start, Harvey threw 103 pitches, but over one fewer inning.
Harvey escaped trouble in the fourth, striking out Cervelli and Mercer in succession after allowing consecutive singles and throwing a wild pitch that moved the runners to second and third. In the fifth, Harvey struck out Gregory Polanco to end the in- ning after allowing two singles.
“The biggest part of today, when I got in trouble and had some runners in scoring position, when I needed that strikeout, like I have in the past, it was there,” Harvey said. “So that was definitely a positive.
“I have always known I was going to get back to where I wanted to be. Obviously it has taken a little bit of time and it’s been frustrating for me, but a lot of the work has been paying off and it’s a huge positive for me executing those pitches.”
Lucas Duda homered for the second straight night, giving the Mets their final run, as part of a 14-hit attack against Tyler Glasnow and the Pirates bullpen. The Mets (21-27) won two of three games in the series as their lineup continues to sizzle, averaging 5.93 runs in the 27 games since Yoenis Cespedes was placed on the disabled list.
The Mets built their cushion in the fifth, with three runs on four hits to take a 5-1 lead. Jay Bruce stroked a two-run double for the inning’s biggest hit, after Jose Reyes had delivered an RBI single. Harvey’s broken-bat single started the rally and Curtis Granderson followed with a double.
Asdrubal Cabrera launched a two-run double in the fourth that gave the Mets a 2-1 lead.
Polanco hammered Harvey’s second pitch of the second inning, a slider, over the centerfield fence to put the Mets in a 1-0 hole. The blast was the 12th allowed by Harvey this season. In his previous start he had snapped a career-long streak of allowing at least one homer in five consecutive starts.