Mets vs. Phillies recap: Harvey rocked one last time in 2017

In his final start of the 2017 season, Matt Harvey pitched pretty much the same way that he had for the rest of the year. He gave up four runs, all of the earned, in four innings, and he struck out just three opposing batters while walking the same number. It’s very, very clear that the Harvey who returned from surgery for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome is not the same Harvey who returned from Tommy John surgery just two-and-a-half years ago.

While the biggest turmoil surrounding the Mets right now is their managerial situation—with Terry Collins about to manage his last pair of games before the Mets move on and plenty of gory details of his tenure now public knowledge—it’s the team’s pitching that still seems the most concerning as the offseason approaches. There are other ways to win baseball games, of course, but the diminished version of the pitching staff that took the field this year, when healthy, sets up a somewhat monumental task for a front office that will have plenty of other work on its hands in the coming weeks.

As for the 2018 draft, the team cannot, for all of its flaws, catch the White Sox in losses, ruling out the fourth overall pick. They’d have to lose twice while the Reds win twice to end up fifth, and San Diego is just one game “behind” them for sixth in the reverse standings. If Terry Collins really wants to stick it to the organization, he’ll do his best to manage these Mets to a pair of wins in these two final games of his tenure.

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What’s WPA?

Big winners: none
Big losers: Matt Harvey, -25.4% WPA, Brandon Nimmo, -12.4% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Jose Reyes hits a solo home run in the first, +10.2% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Maikel Franco hits a two-run home run in the second, -19.8% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: -30.8% WPA
Total batter WPA: -19.2% WPA
GWRBI!: Odubel Herrera