Matt Harvey went through the greatest trial of his career in late May and early June: he had to deal with the humbling humanity that is being a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.
He had ridden the high life of mystical stardom like very few had. Even after missing a year thanks to Tommy John Surgery, Harvey seemed to have risen above the challenges and walls that many pitchers face when coming back from the injury.
But then late May came when the team began to label his problems as a “dead arm” phase, and that he was not “finishing his pitches.”
Perhaps it was simply a case of Harvey reaching the wall countless pitchers before him reach at some point in year one after Tommy John Surgery.
Harvey admits it’s been a great challenge, after all.
“I’m finding that it’s a lot [tougher] than I anticipated, and it was earlier in the season,” Harvey explained Saturday afternoon. “Just the feel, going through mechanics, and everything, you’re learning. I have a whole new ligament in my elbow, so finding whether it’s the release point or certain pitches. Coming back, there’s still days that I don’t feel as great as I normally would through the rehab process, but we’re finding ways to get it done.”
Harvey and Dan Warthen have certainly found that way once again, and Harvey once again is resembling the ace he has billed himself to be.
Saturday wasn’t the most overpowering of Harvey Days, but none the less he was sharp, allowing just a run (which shouldn’t have been) on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts in six innings.
Part of that could be attributed to the poor weather conditions at Citi Field on Saturday afternoon – it was raining throughout the entire game with a stiff wind.
“It was tough playing it just in general,” Harvey explained about the conditions. “I think we knew going into the game that it would be raining pretty much the whole time. So it was just battling through that and keeping the ball dry as much as possible, and the mound. They did a great job of keeping the field dry as much as they could.”
It didn’t seem to bother the feel for his pitches. He had a filthy slider working on Sunday, and it was particularly effective going down and into the big left-handed hitters.
But what was most impressive about the outing – and his last three specifically – is his ability and willingness to adjust early in his sequences.
Previously, Harvey had primarily been pounding the zone with fastballs on first and second pitches, and the opposition had become extremely aggressive early in the count as a result. Lately, he’s done a better job of throwing off-speed pitches early, breaking off from what had really become a predictable pattern for him, and while the opposition remains aggressive they’re missing those pitches more often than before.
His adjustment was two-fold. Obviously, he had to figure out how to deal with the first wall he hit coming back from Tommy John Surgery. It appears he has, which should better prepare him for his next challenge in his comeback, whenever that comes.
But, the reality is the book was also out on Harvey, and he had to adjust back against the league, which he has been able to do extremely well in his last three starts. Sure, he lacked command of his pitches during his rough patch, but he was also sticking to a program that simply had to change.
He has done that masterfully, all while breaking through the first barrier in his comeback.
Harvey has now allowed just two earned runs in his last 19 2/3 innings with three walks and 14 strikeouts over his last two starts.
Just Mets 