The seemingly endless spiral staircase the Mets have been tumbling down has come to end, for now at least. The Mets faithful have something to rejoice finally.
The reign of Matt Harvey, the young flamethrowing Mystic, CT local, is upon us.
All that you really need to take away from last night’s 3-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks is that our savior Matt Harvey has arrived.
He exuded sheer dominance in his pro debut last night, tossing 5.1 scoreless innings. He did labor, throwing 106 pitches and walking three. But who cares, the guy fanned 11 Snakes last night, good for the most strikeouts in a players rookie debut in Mets history. That also puts him in more elite company, making him the thirteenth starting pitcher since 1900 to punch out at least 11 in his first start.
This was way more than the Mets were expected. It doesn’t go in the books as a quality start, but it was of better quality than anyone could have expected. It doesn’t hurt that he contributed a pair of hits either.
Let’s not be hasty and expect this kind of dominance every start. Scouting reports will be updated while the league adapts to what kind of good tools Harvey has to offer. Going forward, you have to get a sense of optimism in regards to the future of this rotation because there is more where this came from, and some with Jeurys Familia, and Zack Wheeler, an even higher-touted prospect.
Josh Edgin was another bright spot in last night’s win. I called for his increased playing time earlier this week, as there is no sense in denying it from him, and he flawlessly pitched more than an inning in relief. Keep giving this kid the experience he needs to flourish.
It’s good to see catcher Rob Johnson back. He gives Harvey a confidence boost, and with a sac fly last night he is still showing more offensive prowess than Mike Nickeas.
Increasing his trade stock, Scott Hairston powered the Mets on offense, and despite a shaky ninth that included a pair of walks, Bobby Parnell recorded his third save of 2012.
The Mets have had a history of going on tears out Arizona. This could be the start of something good, we all can hope.
