Matt Harvey answered the call on Thursday afternoon when Noah Syndergaard could not. The New York Mets pitcher was forced to move his start up after his fellow rotation mate was scratched in the morning. Whether it can be chalked up to the unexpected start or just a bad day at the ballpark, however, Harvey struggled immensely in the afternoon loss to the Atlanta Braves, extending a lengthy losing streak.
Rough outing
Things went wrong for Harvey almost immediately. He walked three batters in the second inning. He also gave up an RBI single to Jace Peterson and a groundout RBI to pitcher R.A.
Dickey, who truly broke out with the Mets several years ago and was playing at Citi Field for the first time since being traded away. After two innings, the Mets trailed 2-0 against the only team behind them in the National League East standings.
The wheels really fell off in the fifth inning. After an RBI double from Freddie Freeman, Nick Markakis was intentionally walked to bring up catcher Kurt Suzuki. Not known for his power, Suzuki mashed a three-run homer off of Harvey to put the Braves up 6-2, a lead they would never come close to surrendering. Josh Smoker immediately relieved the beleaguered starter and performed well out of the bullpen. It wasn't enough, though, as the Mets fell to the Braves 7-5 and fell behind them in the division standings.
Injuries everywhere
Harvey only had to fill in on Thursday because of a sudden Noah Syndergaard absence. The ace was feeling discomfort in his right biceps. He (and the rotation as a whole) have already had injury concerns earlier this year and since the season has begun. The Mets hope to have Syndergaard back in the rotation for a Sunday start against the NL East-leading Washington Nationals, but that's not yet a sure thing.
In Thursday's game, the Mets were dealt yet another injury blow. Yoenis Cespedes, the star outfielder who only came back from a hamstring problem the previous day, suffered an injury while rounding first base on his way to a double. It was clear immediately that the injury was bad, as he needed a great amount of assistance just to get off the field, ending his day.
There wasn't an immediate report as to what the injury was, but it's significant enough that he'll probably be headed straight to the disabled list. Overall, not a great day for the Mets organization on Thursday, as the team suffered their sixth straight defeat on the field.
