The 2013 Mets are a black hole, sucking the life out of a season. Draining hope, drowning joy. Doing it in such a resounding fashion they have managed what would have seemed inconceivable a month ago:
They have reduced Matt Harvey starts from events to remember to just another day to forget for these Mets.
The anticipation, buzz and attendance of April/May for Harvey Day have subsided at Citi Field into the realities of June. The announced crowd yesterday was 25,471, but it was a lot closer to 471 than that. Blame rain and the threat of more if you want for the empty seats and lack of passion.
But know that last Saturday 16 games were played, including a split doubleheader at Fenway, and the 20,338 at Citi for a Harvey start against Miami was the lowest attendance of all. Smaller than in Tampa Bay, where they pretty much have rejected baseball, smaller than Houston at Kansas City.
This is the black hole where even a young pitching maestro’s work bleeds out, loses the ability to inspire, ignite dreams. Harvey would get to two strikes yesterday in a taut mano a mano against St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright and the sound was a Dillon Gee sound, a Shaun Marcum sound. Murmurs rather than thunderbolts, rather than that feeling that was around just a few weeks ago of hope and possibility and being around to see something fresh, exciting and maybe tide-changing.
Will Smith could not save “After Earth,” and Harvey cannot save these Mets, cannot do a LeBron and guarantee a high level of regular-season success simply by his presence, cannot pump electricity into a lifeless form.
It is not his fault. Harvey is doing all he can to raise the competitiveness and win total of the Mets. But unless he morphs into the baseball version of Bugs Bunny — first base, Matt Harvey; second base, Matt Harvey — the organization’s biggest issue will not be if Harvey can lift those around him, but whether they will take him down, as well.
Manager Terry Collins, in fact, was compelled to have a private chat with Harvey yesterday, to counsel his young ace to stave off frustration after more genius was soiled not by the opponent, but his own teammates. We could say Harvey is enduring friendly fire, but that would mean saying these Mets have fire.
Harvey, as his is his wont, blamed himself for the Mets’ 2-1 loss by saying he did not put up enough zeroes. It is admirable. But also ridiculous. He gave up one run on five hits in seven innings to the best offense in the majors. He pitched well enough to turn a 2.10 ERA more microscopic (2.04). The one run he did yield came in the third when Marlon Byrd took an interesting route to the ball and Matt Carpenter’s sinking liner scooted by the diving right fielder for an RBI triple.
That was enough for Harvey, in Start 14 of 2013, to suffer his first loss. He might have gotten yet another no decision, but Scott Rice and LaTroy Hawkins managed to give up as many runs on nearly as many hits (four) in the eighth inning as Harvey did in the first seven. Thus, Byrd’s ninth-inning homer did not tie the score in the ninth.
“I can’t control what the offense does,” Harvey said, taking responsibility for his work, not alibiing behind what his hitters are incapable of doing.
Again, admirable. Harvey is showing toughness in the storm. He said the stiff lower back that cropped up Saturday was not a factor. A liner yesterday by Yadier Molina ricocheted from his shoe into his groin in the second inning and Harvey betrayed nothing. He kept subduing the feral animal that is the Cardinals offense, trying to keep a game close enough that maybe — just maybe — an offense (.224 average, .660 OPS) that is essentially nine Sal Fasanos (career .221/.687) could muster enough to produce a win.
Of course, that didn’t happen. Again. So Harvey said he will now focus wholly on being ready for Tuesday in Atlanta, his end of a doubleheader. Zack Wheeler gets the other game in his major league debut. That should defibrillate some life and attention back into the Mets, induce another round of hope.
But for how long? Because so far, the 2013 Mets are a black hole — where hope goes to die.