SMOKIN’ ACE: Matt Harvey pitched six shutout innings before a rain delay cut short his day in the Mets’ 8-0 victory over the Phillies. Harvey got some help in the field, including a leaping catch by rookie Juan Legares (inset). (
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PHILADELPHIA — Matt Harvey probably had another 40 pitches in his right arm yesterday when a downpour soaked Citizens Bank Park and kept the Mets ace from pursuing a shutout.
But Harvey’s performance over six innings was completely acceptable to his team: No runs allowed on two hits, leading the Mets to an 8-0 victory over the Phillies.
Harvey (7-1, 2.05 ERA) struck out six and walked one batter over 72 pitches. He hit 100 mph in striking out Ben Revere to end the second inning.
“Today was a good day,” Harvey said. “Obviously the velocity was there and I hit the corners pretty well. I knew with my best pitch,I was going to go out there and when we needed a big strikeout or a double play,I was fortunate enough that I was able to strike them out.”
Once a 20-minute rain delay in the top of the seventh inning ended, manager Terry Collins decided it wasn’t worth the gamble of sending Harvey back to the mound. LaTroy Hawkins and Brandon Lyon then combined for three shutout innings as the Mets (30-42) won a second straight series, taking two of three games from the Phillies after going 3-2 in Atlanta last week.
Collins is now pondering whether he should shuffle his rotation and let Harvey pitch on four days’ rest against the Nationals on Friday or just wait and let the right-hander take his normal turn on Saturday behind Dillon Gee.
Harvey’s preference is to pitch Friday, and Collins seems to like the idea of splitting up his two power arms, Harvey and Zack Wheeler, while giving Gee extra rest by waiting until Saturday to pitch. The rookie Wheeler is set to start tomorrow against the White Sox and then face the Nationals on Sunday at Citi Field.
Yesterday, Ryan Howard’s second-inning single and Chase Utley’s double in the fourth were the Phillies’ only hits against Harvey.
“We’re going to get really tired of talking about how good this guy has got a chance of becoming,”Collins said.
David Wright carried the lineup with a 4-for-5 performance that consisted of a homer, triple and two doubles on a day the Mets totaled 12 hits. Eric Young Jr. finished 3-for-5 from the leadoff spot with two runs scored.
Harvey was afforded a six-run cushion after the Mets scored twice in the sixth. Juan Lagares stroked an RBI double and Omar Quintanilla’s sacrifice fly added another run.
Revere’s three-base error in center on Lagares’ drive leading off the fifth was the big play of an inning in which the Mets scored three runs and took a 4-0 lead.
Revere caught Lagares’ drive and watched the ball squirt loose after taking two steps. Second base umpire D.J. Reyburn ruled Revere wasn’t in the process of making the transfer, and Lagares was safe at third. Harvey’s double brought in the run before Young and Wright each doubled in a run.
“I felt pretty locked in [at the plate],” said Harvey, whose father, Ed, is the hitting coach at UConn Avery Point. “I’ve been struggling, so getting my swing back is important to me and definitely my dad, so I know he’s happy about that.”
Young and Daniel Murphy singled in succession to open the game against John Lannan (0-2), allowing the Mets to take a 1-0 lead on Marlon Byrd’s sacrifice fly. Byrd’s RBI double in the seventh and Wright’s homer in the ninth finished the scoring.
Despite losing Justin Turner, Jon Niese and Lucas Duda to the disabled list, the Mets are holding their own on this road trip.
“That’s a very good seven days,” Collins said. “They are tired, they are beat up,we lost three players to the DL in the last five days and to come out here and win the first two series on this road trip is a huge lift for us.”