The New York Mets have been banking on Matt Harvey being the future of the franchise. The 24-year-old pitcher certainly looked the part until he suffered a partially torn UCL and underwent Tommy John surgery. Now after 19 months away from the pitching mount, Harvey will make his season debut against the Washington Nationals as the two teams wrap up the series.
Harvey admitted that stepping away and having the surgery was the right move to make. Now the pitcher is picking up where he left off. Harvey looked strong in spring training. He finished with a 1.19 ERA in 22 innings while recording 21 strikeouts. The pitcher was also throwing in the high 90s proving that he is fully healthy. He will make his return against the Nationals, a team he has dominated in the past. Harvey is 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA and 25 strikeouts over three starts.
Harvey will battle Stephen Strasburg as the two pitchers have taken similar paths in their career. Strasburg is familiar with a hot start and disappointing injury, undergoing his own Tommy John surgery. The pitcher did not start Opening Day after spraining his ankle in spring training. Last season he finished the year going 14-11 with a 3.14 ERA as the Nationals went on to win the division. He is currently 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA against the Mets.
The Nationals need the win. They were able to even the series on Wednesday night despite going 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position. However, Ryan Zimmerman stepped up with a two-run homer that sealed the win. Meanwhile, the Mets are having their own scoring issues. The lineup is drawing some criticism over their lack of power, but general manager Sandy Alderson is making it clear there are no issues.
"I think what happened was, people were surprised by the lineup," Alderson said, via ESPN.com. "When there's a surprise like that, people are scrambling around for some sort of rationale or explanation."
