H ERE’S HARVEY
ETS NEED GOOD OL’ MATT TONIGHT
COURAGE and conviction.
Those are the two passwords to success Mickey Callaway and Dave Eiland are looking for from their pitchers. Show those characteristics and you will go a long way in the Mets’ rotation.
That is the challenge facing Matt Harvey on Tuesday night when he makes one of the more important starts of his career.
Callaway and Eiland want to see Harvey establish his fastball early, throw strikes and let his talent play. That’s what they wanted to see from Zack Wheeler, but Wheeler is still not there, and that is why he is in Las Vegas. That’s what they wanted to see from Steven Matz in his first start, a terrible disappointment in Sunday’s 5-1 loss to the Cardinals.
That’s what they believe they will see Tuesday night from Harvey against the Phillies at Citi Field. They believe Harvey turned the corner in spring training, and this has nothing to do with numbers, it has everything to do with approach. Throw strikes. Believe. Because of Wheeler’s slow return from his injury problems last season and Matz’s continuing perplexing ways of not attacking hitters, Harvey finds himself in a spot that many thought he would not reach this early in the season. The opportunity to fall in line behind Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom as one of the Mets’ top three starters.
A wild morning snowstorm wiped away Monday night’s planned start and as a result, all Harvey got the chance to do Monday was to throw in the snow-covered outfield.
Harvey has come so far from his thoracic outlet syndrome surgery and earlier Tommy John surgery, but those are physical comebacks. It’s where he is mentally that is most important for him now.
Harvey began to throw his changeup with conviction late in spring training and that made all the difference. That will be a key pitch for him because he has been able to run the fastball up to 96.
During spring training, before anyone else really noticed, Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox, who knows his pitching and is a special adviser with the Braves, told The Post he was extremely impressed with Harvey, saying he looked “super’’ and “he looked like the old Harvey for me.’’
Yes, already teams are keeping close tabs on Harvey, who is a free agent after the season.
Harvey has so much riding on this season and it all begins Tuesday night, weather permitting.
Over his career, Harvey is just 34-35 with a 3.51 ERA. But in each of his first three seasons his ERA was well under 3.00. The last two years, he has pitched just 92 2/3 innings in each season and last year, coming back from the TOS surgery, he had no feel for his pitches and it showed with Harvey putting up a 5-7 mark with a dreadful 6.70 ERA.
That is all behind him now. Harvey has a new lease on his pitching life, a fresh start with Callaway and Eiland. Eiland has made it his mission to get Harvey to use more of his lower half, stay over the rubber longer to generate power and command. There are no shortcuts. To his credit, Harvey has bought in on Eiland’s expertise and has made tremendous progress.
Heading into the season Harvey said, “We are going to shock a lot of people and it’s going to be a lot of fun.’’
He was talking about the Mets and himself.
For Harvey, the fun begins. He has dutifully played the role of one of five in the rotation, letting the attention be chewed up by Syndergaard and deGrom. He has played the role of sidekick.
Harvey Day used to be something so special. Monday was a Harvey Snow Day. Syndergaard and deGrom each came away victors in their opening starts even though they did not have their best stuff.
Here is what they did have, they had courage and conviction in their pitches. In the combined 11 2/3 innings pitched, SynderGrom walked one batter. Harvey walked 47 over those 92 2/3 innings last year.
Attack with courage and conviction Tuesday night and Matt Harvey will be back.