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Inside the struggles of Matt Harvey and Adam Wainwright
- Updated: April 22, 2016
11:36 AM ET
Two of baseball’s top pitchers have gotten off to rough starts, and Matt Harvey and Adam Wainwright will look to correct that when they pitch Friday night.
Here’s a closer look at the issues for each and their potential outlook.
Matt Harvey and Adam Wainwright haven’t lived up to expectations early in 2016. USA TODAY Sports, Icon Sportswire
Harvey
Harvey is 0-3 with a 5.71 ERA in three starts this season, with 4.7 strikeouts per nine innings. The rest of the Mets’ starters have a 2.25 ERA and 9.98 strikeouts per nine innings in 64 innings this season.
Last season, Harvey’s 2.71 ERA was second among Mets starters, behind Jacob deGrom’s 2.54. Harvey’s 216 innings pitched (regular and postseason) in his first season back from Tommy John surgery were more than any other pitcher has thrown.
In his breakout campaign in 2013 and comeback season in 2015, Harvey averaged at least a strikeout per inning. This season, he hasn’t struck out more than four in any game and sits at nine strikeouts for the season. He struck out 24 batters combined in his first three starts in 2015.
So what’s wrong?
The strikeouts have disappeared in large part because of fewer swing-and-misses. Last season, batters swung and missed at 27 percent of Harvey’s pitches. This season, that number is 19 percent. His contact rate is up 7 percentage points.
Batters are swinging and missing against Matt Harvey’s pitches less frequently than last season. AP Photo/Seth Wenig
With more contact and fewer strikeouts, Harvey has dealt with more runners and hasn’t done a good job of stranding those runners. Last season, Harvey’s 79 percent strand rate ranked 12th in the majors. In 2016, it’s 59 percent, which ranks 102nd. Opposing hitters are hitting .464 with men on base against him.
Pitching coach Dan Warthen thinks Harvey has a mechanical issue when he pitches from the stretch.
Last season, …
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