Up until Mother Nature came and washed Matt Harvey away from the game on Sunday. After pitching 6 innings of two-hit ball, it was determined by Terry Collins and the Mets brass that Harvey would not return following a twenty minute rain delay to start the 7th.
The damage was already done. Up 7-0 at that time and well in line to earn his 7th win of the season, they felt it was best to sit Harvey and get him prepped for his next scheduled start, which is Friday against the Washington Nationals in New York.
The bullpen preserved the shutout as the Mets win the rubber game against the Philadelphia Phillies, 8-0. LaTroy Hawkins and Brandon Lyon pitched the remaining three innings, holding the Phillies to two total hits during the final frames.
Matt Harvey's bat in the 5th inning helped open the game for the Mets, as his double brought home Juan Lagares, who benefited from a Ben Revere fielding error that put him at third base. Harvey would be led home by Eric Young as the Mets plated three in the 5th.
On the mound, Harvey pitched six innings, allowing only two hits. His shutout helped lower his ERA to 2.05, polishing his candidacy to start in the All-Star Game coming up next month at Citi Field.
His pitching performance was supported by the bat of David Wright, who went 4-for-5, all being for extra bases. Eric Young and Marlon Byrd also had multi-hit games for the Mets.
Weekend Notes: Lucas Duda is on the 15-day Disabled List, retroactive to June 22nd, as he is out with a left intercoastal strain. His departure brought speculation that Ike Davis would be returning from the Las Vegas 51s, however the Mets opted to see Davis spend more time tweaking his swing. Instead, the Mets went with Josh Satin at 1st Base the last two games, a position he played at for eight games back in 2011. In 10 Major League starts at 1st Base, he has never been charged with an error.
On Friday, Jeremy Hefner won his 2nd game of the season as the Mets came back from a 3-0 deficit to win, thanks to some help from Eric Young. His 2-RBI single tied the game in the 5th inning, and then Juan Lagares brought Duda home in the 6th for the go-ahead run.
Saturday saw the Mets bounce back from a 7-1 hole after Dillon Gee saw three of his pitches go beyond the wall, two of them to Ryan Howard, who has always had Gee's number. The other homer Gee surrendered was to Michael Young, who with Ryan Howard combined for back-to-back solos in the 5th inning. The 7th and 9th innings were huge for the Mets as they scored 4 in the 7th and 2 in the 9th to tie the game before Kevin Frandsen took the 2nd pitch he saw deep for the Philly walk-off.
The 9th inning comeback brought the 3rd straight blown save for Jonathan Papelbon, who remembers a blown save effort against the Mets back in July last year when David Wright walked off with a single in the bottom 9th at Citi Field.
Young Choice: Eric Young has enjoyed his time with the Mets already. Since being traded from the Colorado Rockies in exchange of Collin McHugh, the switch-hitter from New Brunswick, New Jersey has hit .364. He has batted in 5 runs, one fewer than the 6 he had through 50+ games with the Colorado Rockies. Meanwhile, Collin McHugh was immediately optioned to Double-A, and lost in his first start with his new team, the Tulsa Drillers of the Texas League. In that game, McHugh allowed two runs on five hits in 6 innings pitched.
Wheeler's on Deck: The Mets travel to the midwest for a pair of games against the Chicago White Sox. The two teams split the pair played at Citi Field in May, one which included a Matt Harvey gem where the Mets finally tacked on the game's first run in the 10th inning. The White Sox won't have to face Harvey in this pair, but will find themselves facing Zack Wheeler on Tuesday night. Wheeler kept the Braves scoreless in the nightcap of a day-night doubleheader, settling down to strike out 7 in his six innings of work.
North Country Sports Radio Recaps: May 7 (Mets won 1-0) | May 8 (White Sox won 6-3)
Radio Coverage: 7:30PM Tuesday, 1230 FOX Sports Radio
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