SAN FRANCISCO — Matt Harvey’s misfortune last night included not only having to deal with an opposing Freak, but the Mets’ own freak show defense.
The rookie right-hander was plenty good enough to win his second straight start as a major leaguer. The only thing missing was a few timely hits by the Mets against Tim Lincecum and a play or two behind Harvey.
“I don’t like to lose, so obviously I’m not happy about it,” Harvey said after the Mets’ 4-1 loss to the Giants at AT&T Park.
But Harvey (1-1) gave the Mets a chance by allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits and three walks with seven strikeouts over six innings. It wasn’t as electric as his debut last Thursday, when he struck out 11 over 5 1/3 shutout innings against the Diamondbacks, but the Giants got just a few good swings against the right-hander.
Based on last night, you wouldn’t have known Lincecum (5-11) has been a mess this season. The right-hander held the Mets to a run on six hits over seven innings with seven strikeouts and one walk.
The Giants took the lead for good against Harvey in the second inning, with help from two Mets fielding gaffes: Jordany Valdespin misjudged Buster Posey’s fly to center for a single and Ruben Tejada threw away what should have been an inning-ending double play. Two runs scored on the misfire.
“We had one of those innings, but [Harvey] pitched very well,” manager Terry Collins said. “He didn’t have command of [the fastball] that he had the first time out, but his changeup was very good and I thought he threw his slider. … He kept us in the ballgame and had we gotten out of that second inning it might have been a whole different outcome.”
The Mets’ best shot at Lincecum came in the seventh, when they loaded the bases with one out. Josh Thole lined out before David Wright came to the plate as a pinch-hitter for Harvey and worked the count to 2-2. Lincecum then unloaded a nearly unhittable 78-mph curveball that struck out Wright looking.
Wright was given the option of taking tonight off against Matt Cain or last night against Lincecum. He chose the latter based largely on the fact he entered 2-for-19 (.105) lifetime against Lincecum with 11 strikeouts. But with the Mets needing a jolt in the seventh, Collins couldn’t resist taking a shot with his best hitter.
Maybe Harvey’s best pitching of the night came in the sixth, when he loaded the bases with nobody out, but escaped with only one run scoring. After Marco Scutaro hit into a double play to give the Giants a 3-1 lead, Harvey caught Brandon Belt watching a 95-mph heater to end the inning.
“Obviously I put up a lot of zeroes in my first start and tonight I didn’t do that,” Harvey said. “Tonight, we scored one run and I needed to put up zeroes and didn’t do that.”
Harvey received no help from his defense in the second, when the Giants scored twice to take a 2-1 lead. Brandon Crawford hit a grounder to second that should have been an inning-ending double play, but Tejada threw away the relay, allowing Scutaro and Brandon Belt to score.
The rally started when Valdespin, playing center field, misjudged Posey’s fly ball leading off the inning. By the time Valdespin adjusted, Posey had a leadoff single. Scutaro followed with a double past diving Justin Turner at third base and a walk to Belt loaded the bases. Harvey got Justin Christian on a fielder’s choice before the grounder to Murphy that should have ended the inning. But the Mets only got the out at second before Tejada’s wild throw.
Turner’s RBI double in the second gave the Mets a 1-0 lead. Scott Hairston, who homered twice in Monday’s victory, singled with one out and scored on Turner’s shot to left center.