Wisler wipes out Mets as Braves beat Harvey
Atlanta will play the New York Mets again this afternoon.
NEW YORK — Matched up against Matt Harvey and a streaking Mets team, Matt Wisler was the one in complete command on the mound.
Wisler wiped out New York with eight innings of one-hit ball and Mallex Smith hit a rare Atlanta homer off the scuffling Harvey, sending the Braves to a 3-0 victory Tuesday night.
Asdrubal Cabrera’s clean single to center field with one out in the fifth was the lone hit for the defending NL champions. Wisler (1-2) walked two, struck out four and beat the Mets for the third time in his two major league seasons.
“I think that was probably one of the best outings of my career so far,” Wisler said.
A.J. Pierzynski added an RBI double and the Braves, with the worst record in the majors at 7-19, have won three of five following an eight-game skid. They won for the first time in five meetings with the Mets this season.
Harvey (2-4) didn’t feel well Monday and was given fluids to help him recover Tuesday afternoon, manager Terry Collins said. The right-hander, who has a 4.76 ERA after six starts, pitched out of a second-inning jam but faltered in the fifth and sixth.
“I’m not feeling good with my mechanics. Not feeling good throwing the ball,” said Harvey, adding he didn’t think his illness had any effect on his outing. “It’s been a frustrating start but we have a long way to go.”
The speedy Smith sliced a oneout drive into the left-field corner in the fifth and slid into third with what appeared to be a triple.
But a 50-second crew chief replay review showed the ball barely cleared the orange line on the wall near the 335-foot sign. The initial call was overturned and Smith, batting ninth behind Wisler, trotted to the plate with his first major league home run. He hit 13 in four minor league seasons.
It was only the sixth homer this year for the Braves, by far the fewest in the majors.
“Heck yeah, I just hit a home run off Matt Harvey! That’s exactly what went through my head. Like, who better to hit one off of, you
know? Great pitcher, great time to hit it,” said Smith, who turns 23 on Friday.
Ex-Met Kelly Johnson singled leading off the sixth and stole second. He scored on the double by Pierzynski, who later dashed home on a wild pitch.
Harvey walked to the dugout with his head down when he was pulled after 100 pitches and 5 2-3 innings. He gave up eight hits and walked two while striking out four on a damp and dreary, 53-degree night. He had won his previous two starts after losing his first three.
“He might have been getting a little fatigued by the sixth. Again, we expect perfection and you’re not going to get it,” Collins said.
New York lost for only the second time in 11 games and fell to 14-4 in its last 18.
One pitch after Cabrera singled, Wisler got Kevin Plawecki to ground into an inning-ending double play. Arodys Vizcaino worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his third save.
The 23-year-old Wisler is 3-1 with a 1.55 ERA in four starts and 29 innings against New York.