Mets Recap: Conforto gets Comforto, Harvey Dented and More

So…maybe they needed a fire lit underneath them after all. After last week’s controversial all out effort to beat the Marlins, the Mets have won three of their next four games, including a series win on the road in Cleveland. Last night, David Wright drank from the fountain of youth that he must have hidden somewhere in Philadelphia, while Noah Syndergaard continued to look like the next Nolan Ryan. All told, a tidy little 5-2 win over the Phillies.

Suddenly, that lead the Nats have doesn’t seem all that insurmountable, no?

Two other developments are worth noting. The first is the ascendancy of Michael Conforto to the three hole in the batting order. No pressure kid, just go out there and carry the lineup. So far so good, a slash line of 333/375/733. If (and its still a big if) he can maintain some semblance of this pace, he provides a stabilizing presence in the lineup, probably the first since Wright was in his recognized prime. Of all of his swings, I was most impressed by one that Conforto took on a foul ball last night. The ball was nearly in on his wrists, but he was able to turn on it, sending a rocket down the right field line that was barely foul. With Wright fading and players like Lucas Duda and Travis d’Arnaud appearing to be too streaky and/or injury prone, Conforto has a good chance of being the next big face of the Mets, at least among the position players.

Speaking of former faces of the Mets, the last Matt Harvey start was disturbing. ICYMI, Matt flirted with perfection for four innings last Saturday before being strafed by the Cleveland batters for five runs in less than two innings. The loss lowered Matt’s record to 0-3 and his ERA is a whopping 5.71. Worse, his WHIP sits at 1.55, nearly half a runner higher than his previous norms. Pitching coach Dan Warthen claims to have discovered a flaw in Matt’s delivery. Let’s hope that is all it is. Early returns for sure, but the Mets offense appears to be very much a feast or famine machine and their bullpen has been shaky, to say the least. That puts all the pressure on their vaunted starting staff to cover this multitude of sins. If innings and injuries have reduced Harvey to a mere mortal, the Mets will be without a vital cog in their defense of the NL crown. Matt’s next start, probably this Friday in Atlanta will be a very important one, as he tries to get back on track. There is certainly an unlikeability factor about Matt, but there is no doubting that the Mets really need him to be Matt Harvey.

And finally, a big sigh of relief, all the way around, for Jacob deGrom. Not only did he avoid the DL for his lat injury, but his infant son is by all accounts past a medical scare and came safely home. Its cliché for sure, but it is incidents like that which remind us of what really counts and what’s just entertainment.

I think we’re in for a season that will be both fascinating and turbulent. So in the words of the late, great Bob Murphy: “fasten your seatbelts.”