Matt Harvey: Against All Odds

The New York Mets have called up from their AAA affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons, their number two prospect Matt Harvey to pitch this evening against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Harvey was brought to New York earlier this week to get acquainted with his surroundings while waiting for his MLB debut.  The crux is that the Mets have now lost 11 out of 12 and will not give Harvey much behind him as he adjusts to big league hitters.

During this second half swoon, the Mets hitters have not been able to find their groove or those helpful two-out hits at the right times.  The bullpen is the worst in the majors and has posted a 6.02 ERA since the break and the starters have begun to look like the reincarnation of Oliver Perez times five.  So where does that leave this promising righty that comes from Buffalo with a 7-5 record, 3.68ERA, 112 strikeouts in 110 innings over 20 games?  In quite a bit of a situation.

This Mets team may very well make Matt Harvey look everything but a promising future piece to this ballclub.  As the season continues, look for the New York Mets to possibly deal Daniel Murphy, Scott Hairston and other players and try to get back some pieces they can build upon.  But as for Harvey, now might very well be the worst time for his call-up and don’t expect him to be the pitcher that will take control and allow this team to crawl back to respectability.

Harvey got shelled in his final AAA start to the tune of 6 earned runs over 5 innings for an ERA of 10.80.  His average start lasts only 5.5 innings and that means there will be plenty of opportunity for the bullpen to lose any game he starts if it isn’t lost already.  The experience against major league hitters may turn out to be priceless in the long run, but I do not feel that now was the time to make a move.

I know the Mets have brought along starters such as John Niese, Dylan Gee and others, but there are just as many pitchers that they have ruined with their magic-less touch.  Just hope that Matt Harvey can prove his worth by being durable and capable of retiring the batters he will be facing.  All Mets fans have is their knack for believing, but even that is beginning to wane as this season is falling further downhill.

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