WASHINGTON — On Monday and Tuesday, New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson was reduced to a fan, watching the team he had constructed make two scintillating comebacks to beat the Washington Nationals in two of its biggest games of
WASHINGTON — On Monday and Tuesday, New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson was reduced to a fan, watching the team he had constructed make two scintillating comebacks to beat the Washington Nationals in two of its biggest games of the season. A lawyer and a former member of the Marine Corps, Alderson flashed a rare wide smile Wednesday afternoon, before the Mets completed their sweep of the Nationals with a 5-3 win.
“Kind of unbelievable, really,” he said.
The wins not only provided more buffer for the Mets from the Nationals in the National League East race, they also gave the Mets added flexibility in how they could handle Matt Harvey, their ace pitcher who was approaching his recommended innings limit in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery.
After publicly feuding with Scott Boras, Harvey’s agent, the Mets made peace with him and devised an outline for the rest of Harvey’s season. Harvey has thrown 171 2/3 innings, leaving him about one start short of his limit of 180. The Mets have considered starting him one or two more times this season — in about 10 days against the New York Yankees and, potentially two weeks after that, against the Nationals in the regular season’s final series.
The biggest issue facing Harvey and the Mets was no longer whether he would be kept under his innings limit — it was how the Mets could maximize the few starts Harvey had remaining, while keeping him sharp and giving them the best chance to make the playoffs.
“Everything is tentative right now,” Alderson said. “It’s not tentative on the basis of, ‘Geez, he’s only got X number of innings left.’ It’s tentative based on what’s in his best interest with a view toward pitching in the playoffs, and what’s in our best interest with a view toward actually getting to the playoffs.”
The Mets have other starters who may need special consideration, too, and that could affect how the team aligns its six-man rotation in the coming weeks. They are still monitoring Noah Syndergaard, the rookie, as he approaches his innings limit. And Alderson indicated that the Mets could possibly skip one of Jacob deGrom’s starts because he has shown signs of fatigue in his recent outings.
With Harvey, on the other hand, the Mets must balance pitching him too much and risk overusing him, or pitching him too infrequently and risk affecting his rhythm.
“That’s something Dr. Andrews has always wanted to avoid,” Alderson said, referring to Dr. James Andrews, the surgeon who performed Harvey’s operation.
The Mets want Harvey to retain his sharpness because they plan to have him pitch in the postseason, although it’s still unclear exactly how they intend to use him. Alderson said the Mets did not have the “luxury” of discussing those plans just yet, despite their division lead, because, “We haven’t won anything.”
