MLB

Mets’ Harvey likely has two starts left this season

ST. LOUIS — Matt Harvey’s finish line for 2012 will be in sight after he faces the Cardinals tonight.

The Mets rookie will, in all likelihood, make his final start of the season on Monday against the Nationals at Citi Field, although manager Terry Collins yesterday wouldn’t rule out the possibility of an additional appearance should the right-hander have an abbreviated start against St. Louis or Washington.

Harvey has pitched 152 1/3 innings between Triple-A Buffalo and the Mets this season, and the Mets have wanted Harvey to pitch no more than 165-to-170 innings.

“There’s not much more I need to see,” Collins said before the Mets’ 5-4 loss to the Cardinals yesterday at Busch Stadium. “I see better stuff up here than I ever got in reports from the minor leagues.”

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Harvey (3-3, 2.76 ERA) has all but earned a spot in the Mets’ rotation for next season, but Collins also warned against complacency.

“A guy comes up late in the season when guys are tired and nobody knows him and they pitch brilliantly, and all of a sudden they get in the rotation,” Collins said. “And the next year they are back in the minor leagues by May 15 because the scouting reports are out, the command is not there.

“But I know Matt Harvey well enough that he’ll be determined enough that when he shows up next year, he’s making this team.”

* The Mets are still considering “different scenarios,” according to a club source, of how they might say farewell to the Braves’ Chipper Jones this weekend in his final trip to New York before retirement.

* Jordany Valdespin, Jeurys Familia, Jenrry Mejia, Justin Hampson, Elvin Ramirez and Fred Lewis will be called up today from Triple-A Buffalo. They join Collin McHugh, Mike Nickeas and Zach Lutz as the September call-ups.