HARVEY DROPS TO 0 -3
Takes unraveling perfect game against into Tribe: fifth before
CLEVELAND — Matt Harvey’s frustration was obvious. The Mets righthander was perfect for four innings but awful after that.
The Indians battered him for five runs over the fifth and sixth innings Saturday and then survived another Mets longball display for a 7-5 win at Progressive Field.
“I think something is going on where I get through a couple of innings and then things fall apart,” a subdued Harvey said after falling to a shocking 0-3 this season. “There is a lot of frustration.”
After retiring the first 13 batters he faced through 4.1 innings, Harvey allowed five runs on six hits and three walks in the next 1.1. Rafael Montero came in to escape a bases loaded jam but ended up giving up two more runs.
“We’ve got to figure out why he loses it so fast,” Mets manager Terry Collins said of Harvey’s meltdown.
Like Friday night the Mets (4-6) scored all their runs on home runs: a solo shot to lead off the first inning by Curtis Granderson, a three-run homer from Yoenis Cespedes in the eighth and a solo home run by Neil Walker in the eighth. It wasn’t enough. “My job is to go out and go as many as I can, putting up zeros and putting the team in reach of winning the ballgame, and I didn’t do that,” Harvey said. “A lot of frustration and there’s not much else to say.”
Harvey suffered his fourth straight regular-season loss dating back to September. He has given up more than three runs in all three of his starts this season, the first time in his career he has allowed three or more runs in three straight starts.
Dan Warthen thinks he knows some of what caused Harvey to unravel Saturday. The pitching coach said Harvey has been struggling pitching out of the stretch, and when the righthander walked Carlos Santana in the fifth inning, that forced him out of his full windup for the first time all day.
“That’s been our biggest issue so far, he collapses the back side and ends up muscling the baseball,” Warthen said. “From the windup he’s been very good all year. Right now we’re @MikeLupica struggling with a little mechanical issue out of the stretch.” After the lumbering Santana surprisingly stole second, Harvey gave up an RBI double to Jose Ramirez and a go-ahead double to Juan Uribe before getting out of the inning. He could not get out of the sixth, allowing three runs before Collins came to get him with the bases full. This has been an issue for Harvey throughout his career, Warthen said, and when he is under pressure he reverts to a bad habit. He “collapses” his back leg and tries to throw too hard with his arm. “This has been Matt’s biggest bugaboo since I have had him,” Warthen said. Warthen said that “collapsing” back leg could explain the slight dip in Harvey’s velocity in the fifth and sixth innings. His slider was also inconsistent Saturday and has been throughout the season. “It’s there and then it’s not there, there and not there, that’s the same with the velocity right now,” Warthen said. “I’ve seen Matt’s good velocity early in spring and I thought he’s gonna have a big year. I still think he’s gonna have a big, big year. “If we’ve ever seen Matt Harvey press, this might be the time. He’s really trying to force the issue right now.” The Mets worried that Harvey and the other young starters who carried them to the World Series last season would suffer a fatigue hangover from the extra work. Harvey threw 216 innings, the most ever by a pitcher in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. The Mets tried to ease him and the rest of the starters into spring and the season and they ended up having irregular work schedules. Harvey dismissed those ideas, saying his arm and body felt fine and he had enough work this spring. “I am not hitting the wall, I just have to figure out how to get through that fifth, sixth inning,” Harvey said.