Matt Harvey is still without a nickname, but “One and Done” might be appropriate for the Mets ace.
That is, if Harvey dares surrender one run, his chances of winning the game are about done. So Thursday was just another day at the office for the stud right-hander, in the Mets’ 2-1 loss to the Cardinals at Citi Field.
Harvey (5-1) allowed one run over seven innings, ending his unbeaten streak at 14 starts dating to last season. In three of his last four starts Harvey has allowed only one run, but over that stretch he doesn’t have a win.
“The wins and losses don’t mean anything to me, personally, it’s a matter of the team winning,” Harvey said.
Even so, manager Terry Collins felt compelled to speak with him after the game, just to remind Harvey that a personal winless drought dating to May 17 at Wrigley Field hasn’t been the pitcher’s fault.
“Probably four more runs [total] and he is 8-0 or 9-0 coming into today,” Collins said. “That just tells you how well he has pitched and he pitched another great game today and just has got to keep doing it. There’s nothing else to say except, ‘Keep going out there and getting outs,’ as I just told him.”
Adam Wainwright (10-3) dominated the Mets, limiting them to four hits and two walks over seven shutout innings. The only semblance of a rally against the right-hander came in the fourth inning, when the Mets put two runners aboard only to watch the threat fizzle on Lucas Duda’s long fly out.
The Mets (24-37) got a run in the ninth on Marlon Byrd’s homer against Edward Mujica. The tying run was left stranded at third base when Mujica struck out pinch-hitter Josh Satin.
Harvey allowed five hits and one walk with seven strikeouts. Scott Rice was charged for a run in the eighth on Allan Craig’s RBI single against LaTroy Hawkins.
“You can just tell [Harvey] wants to win so bad, but the last thing you want him doing is going out there trying even harder,” Wright said. “Sometimes that can be somewhat counterproductive where instead of throwing 97 [mph] you’re trying to throw 100, but he just needs to keep continuing to do what he’s been doing all year. He’s been as dominant as anybody in baseball.”
Matt Carpenter’s RBI triple in the third gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead against Harvey. Pete Kozma singled before Carpenter hit a sinking line drive to right-center that Byrd couldn’t catch. Carpenter raced to third after Kozma scored, but was left stranded when Harvey struck out Carlos Beltran.
Harvey, who was making his first start since departing Saturday’s game after seven innings with soreness in his lower back, said he felt fine physically. Yesterday was his major league leading eighth start this season in which he lasted at least seven innings and allowed one run or less.
“I can’t control what the offense is doing, I can only go out there and I can pitch and try to put up as many zeroes as I can,” Harvey said. “There’s no outside distractions, I have to stay focused on my job at hand and that’s going out and pitching every fifth day and trying to give up no runs.”
Wainwright retired the first 11 batters to begin the game before Wright singled in the fourth. After Daniel Murphy walked, Duda hit a drive to right-center that died in Jon Jay’s glove in front of the fence.
Wright said it’s “unfair” the team’s struggling lineup has left Mets pitchers with so little room for error.
“I think today was a little bit of a different case,” Wright said. “The majority of the credit goes to Adam.”
mpuma@nypost.com