Mets fans live to dread, and the weather in New York provided the perfect backdrop—with gray skies and ominous thunder rolling in the distance—either for the climactic scene of a gothic novel or the return of Matt Harvey to the mound—Willets’ very own Heathcliff. As the Mets have worked their way through this high-ceiling rotation the first time around this season, the return of Gotham’s Dark Knight was a date circled on the calendar, as a bellwether to see if this group would attain the heights promised for years.
As the first pitch grew near, the cloud cover over Citi Field opened and the sun broke through. Following the same script, Harvey was brilliant, sprinkling three hits and four strikeouts over 6.2 innings, leading the Mets to a 6-2 victory over Atlanta; as he stalked off the mound to a raucous ovation from the sparse die-hards on a brisk night, Harvey could really only regret two of his 77 pitches: both to Atlanta’s Matt Kemp, both products of falling behind in the count. Kemp’s experience trumped Harvey’s stuff—in the first case when he knew what was coming, in the second when the Mets starter missed his spot. Those blemishes aside, Harvey’s fastball grew stronger over the course of the night, with lively movement that avoided barrels and yielded many weak fly balls and one rally-snuffing double play.
On the other side of the ball, the Mets returned to opening day form, touching Atlanta starter Jaime Garcia for four runs and also finding the weak spots of Atlanta’s bullpen for another two. Most importantly, hitters who will be essential to the Mets’ hopes showed signs that they were ready to turn a corner. After a single by Neil Walker in the fifth, Jay Bruce worked a walk, setting up a commanding two-RBI double to left by Travis d’Arnaud.
With two outs in the top of the sixth, Harvey surrendered his second homer to Kemp, and Collins had seen enough. Left hander Jerry Blevins struck out Nick Markakis on four pitches.
In the home half of the sixth, following a one-out walk by Yoenis Cespedes (who showed he was also approaching last season’s form by lacing a double down the third base line in the fourth), all-around folk hero Wilmer Flores lifted a sluggish breaking ball by Garcia into the left field stands for a two-run homer. With that, Kemp’s heroics aside, it was a question of Harvey—and then the bullpen—holding the lead.
In the seventh inning, it was time for the de facto setup man, Fernando Salas, who surrendered a one-out single to Atlanta third baseman Adonis Garcia before coaxing a high-bouncing chopper over the mound by Atlanta catcher Tyler Flowers. Had he fielded it cleanly, Salas had a no-doubt double play; as it was, it was two men on. Another infield hit by Inciarte later, Salas was facing full bases, although only one hit managed to leave the infield. Rookie shortstop Dansby Swanson buckled under the pressure and struck out.
Third baseman Jose Reyes managed his first hit of the season, advancing and then scoring on shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera’s sharply hit single that sparked a throwing error by Swanson. Other notable appearances included a pinch-hitting appearance by Michael Conforto, who reached base via being hit by a pitch and via Cabrera’s RBI single.
Multiple vital pieces came into play in this victory on both sides of the ball. The more morbid members of Mets fandom can find solace in the return of dread tomorrow; the Marlins come to town as does the storm front that has been tormenting opening days across the Midwest; if you like your cups half-empty, there’s rain in the forecast. Zack Wheeler takes the mound for the first time in what seems like forever. As the rotation passes one test, another rapidly takes it place.
Notes
He was perhaps feeling last night’s hit-by-pitch on the left hand, but nevertheless Brandon Phillips’ subtweet-esque reign of terror in Queens is over; his 0-for-3 showing with two groundouts and a strikeout ended his 33-game hitting streak against the Mets, which had been matched only by Joe “Ducky” Medwick of the Cardinals who hit in 46 straight games at Brooklyn from 1933-37, according to Elias.
Photo credit: Adam Hunger – USA Today Sports