Slumping Nationals slugger Bryce Harper is out of the starting lineup for Washington’s rubber game Wednesday against the New York Mets. After yet another poor start Tuesday against the Washington Nationals, the question once again arose about what to do with Harvey. Wright, who had the day off yesterday, would prove to be all the offense the Mets would need less than five minutes into the game. He’s batting. 200 since April 18 (20 for 100) and hasn’t homered since May 13.
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“I’m really surprised”, Collins said.
The Nationals hit three of their season-high five home runs off Harvey, who stumbled through a third straight ineffective start, allowing five runs in as many innings.
Francisco Lindor had three hits for the Indians. “It gave him some confidence that the fastball is still there”, Collins said.
“You don’t see many lefties like that”.
In his most recent outing, Roark pitched 6.2 innings, giving up one run, striking out seven and walking two in a 4-1 victory over the Marlins. He allowed nine runs, six earned, in 2 2/3 innings, but made his scheduled start against them on Tuesday.
“We believe the best way to get him back is to have him keep pitching and keep making progress and stay up here in the big leagues”, Ricco told ESPN. “As a teammate, as a friend, we’re all in there rooting for him, and I think he’ll get things back on track”. Villar scored as Nick Markakis’ throw to the plate from right field was up the third-base line.
Plus, as Michael Salfino said to me yesterday, Harvey was going to be portrayed poorly no matter what he did.
After a torrid start to the season, Harper has been seeing less pitches to hit lately and even reached base a record seven times without an official at-bat earlier this month against the Cubs, as he was walked six times and hit by a pitch. Since losing his first start of the season, Matz has gone 6-0 with a superb 1.35 ERA in his last six games. Just ride it out and hope he works through the struggles? To come in here on the road and pitch the way he pitched and just dominate a very, very good lineup, that’s impressive.
Nonetheless, it makes a pitcher’s life much easier when the defense behind him is reliable, and the Nationals have certainly been that in 2016. You tip your cap.
“This guy is too big a piece to write him off, to flip him in the bullpen to where you’ve got to pick and choose where you might use him”, Collins said.
Wright is lacking the same love, with 21 hits in his last 100 at-bats going into Monday. That’s because they not only have Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom serving as legit aces every five days, but also because Steven Matz has essentially stepped right into the position everyone expected Harvey to occupy.
“He’s going to get hot”.
“We saw great movement on his fastball”, Collins said.
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INF Wilmer Flores (strained left hamstring) began his minor league rehab stint with Double-A Binghamton Tuesday. Collins said he didn’t know if Flores would come off the disabled list Friday when eligible. Matt Adams tied the score with a two-run homer off in the seventh, ending a streak of 13 innings by Chicago starter John Lackey against his former team in which he’d given up just one run.
