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Matt Harvey is among the few things that have gone right for the Mets in the season’s second half.
The rookie right-hander still needs to work deeper into games, as he readily acknowledges, but last night he provided another glimpse of what he can bring to the Mets rotation in 2013.
With his fastball peaking at 98 mph, Harvey allowed one run over five innings with 10 strikeouts, taking the loss in the Mets’ 2-0 defeat to the Nationals at Citi Field.
The Mets, who scored three runs or fewer for a franchise record 13th consecutive home game, know better than to judge a pitcher by wins and losses.
“You look at whether it’s the Nationals or the other young, good teams that are built to win for the future and the common theme is those young, starting, power arms,” David Wright said.
Harvey is 3-5 with a 2.92 ERA in nine starts since arriving from Triple-A Buffalo on July 26. He will receive one more start next week, against the Phillies at Citi Field, and then be shut down, after reaching an innings limit set in the 165-170 range. Harvey has pitched 162 1/3 innings, split between Buffalo and the Mets.
Manager Terry Collins said it’s hard to envision a scenario in which a healthy Harvey won’t be part of the Mets’ 2013 rotation.
“He’s been so impressive – we’ve got something really special,” Collins said after the Mets (65-78) lost their sixth straight for a winless homestand and fell a season-high 13 games below .500. “It’s been very fun to be around him and watch him work and get ready.”
But after two straight five-inning appearances in which his pitch count became an issue, Harvey sees a need for improvement.
“Limit the walks and get earlier outs and I’m going to bust my [butt] to do that,” Harvey said.
Harvey, Johan Santana, Jon Niese, R.A. Dickey and Dillon Gee would give the Mets a full rotation heading to spring training, but that is provided all are healthy. Jenrry Mejia and Jeurys Familia could also compete for jobs and top prospect Zack Wheeler might not be far behind.
“What we’re trying to do at this point of the year is evaluate, and the evaluation that has gone on with [Harvey], I think everybody is pleased with where he is and how he’s performed and gone about his business,” Dickey said.
“He’s been a bright spot, certainly, but it might be a bright speck, because he hasn’t been here too long. He’s illuminating what he can do.”
Collins said there is little he still needs to see from Harvey before next spring.
“You would really like to see him have great command of his curveball, locate it wherever he wants to,” Collins said. “But he has shown us so much on the mental side, his determination to be great, his approach to being great – his competitiveness.”
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Daniel Murphy was a late scratch from the lineup because of stiffness in his lower back. Ronny Cedeno replaced Murphy at second base, but left the game with a tight right hamstring. … Lucas Duda got a start at first base and could see additional action at that position over the final three weeks as the Mets try to keep his bat in the lineup and still get playing time in the outfield for Jason Bay and Scott Hairston. … Zach Lutz will have surgery on the hamate bone in his left wrist, ending his season.
mpuma@nypost.com