Matt Harvey is a starting pitcher (who might be living in the bullpen later this week)
After getting knocked around again Thursday night, Matt Harvey is dead-set against a demotion to the bullpen.
The New York Mets are off to a good start this season, at 13-5 and atop the NL East entering Friday. Matt Harvey threw five shutout innings in his first start of the season, but after allowing six runs on eight hits over six innings to the Atlanta Braves Thursday night he has a 7.88 ERA over his last three starts.
There were some positives from Harvey’s outing Thursday night, which was seen as a bit of a do-or-die for keeping his rotation spot. He retired 11 of the last 12 batters he faced, while also ending a streak of 12 straight starts where he had not lasted longer than five innings.
Mets’ manager Mickey Callaway openly acknowledged doubt about Harvey taking his next turn in the rotation. But it’s safe to say “The Dark Knight” is not on the same wavelength.
“I’m a starting pitcher,” Harvey said. “I’ve always been a starting pitcher. That’s my mindset.”
Harvey finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting in 2013, with a 2.27 ERA over 26 starts (178.1 innings) for the Mets. But he lost the entire 2014 season to Tommy John surgery, and his 2016 and 2017 seasons were limited by a right shoulder problem and surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. In between was a solid run in 2015, with 13 wins and a 2.71 ERA over 29 starts (189.1 innings) during the regular season and a 3.04 ERA over four postseason starts as the Mets reached the World Series.
Counting four starts this so far this year, Harvey has just nine wins in his last 40 appearances. He has a 5.80 ERA (4.90 FIP) over that span, with well off-peak peripherals (7.0 K/9, 3.3 BB/9), while allowing nearly 11 hits per nine innings.
The Mets have finally had the super-rotation of Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Harvey, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler healthy at the same time this year. But offseason signing Jason Vargas is nearing a return from a fracture in his glove hand during spring training, and Callaway does not seem likely to go with a six-man rotation.
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So shy of sending Wheeler to Triple-A, something is going to have to give pretty soon. If his name was not attached to his recent stat line, Harvey may already be in the bullpen or in Triple-A if that option was usable.