Robert Deutsch -USA Today Sports
Matt Harvey probably loves all of his teammates on the New York Mets, but he’s probably also tired of them letting him down and preventing him from winning games. Whether it be the bullpen blowing leads or the offense not giving him enough run support, Harvey has been unable to catch a break.
So on Wednesday night against the Colorado Rockies, Harvey took matters into his own hands and made sure there was no chance of his teammates letting him down.
For the first time in his career, Harvey pitched a complete game shutout, putting the outcome of the game entirely in his hands. Even a line drive that struck off his knee cap with two outs in the ninth inning, on the 100th pitch he threw, could not keep him from completing the shutout.
After so many incredible performances this season, it’s up for debate whether or not this was his most dominating start, but it was certainly his most economical. Harvey usually blows batters away with strikeouts, but he had just six Ks on this night while inducing 14 ground ball outs, as he made quick work of the Colorado hitters inning after inning.
Of course, Harvey needed a little support. The Mets did provide some belated help on the scoreboard, with three of their five runs coming in the eighth inning on a double from Wilmer Flores. But as usual, Harvey pitched most of the game with little margin for error, as Colorado starter Jhoulys Chacin also pitched a great game.
This was just the ninth win of the season for Harvey, who deserves to have a lot more wins than that during such a brilliant season. After having to endure several disappointing results after delivering a fantastic performance, Harvey finally took matters into his own hands and delivered the first shutout of his career, guaranteeing that the Mets would not lose.
Bryan Zarpentine is a New York Mets writer at www.RantSports.com. Like him on Facebook, follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google.
