Collins hopes Harvey can begin turning season around

NEW YORK — Though Mets manager Terry Collins seems to still have confidence in him, there’s no question that Matt Harvey is on the hot seat for Monday’s Memorial Day start against the White Sox at Citi Field.

The Mets right-hander has lost four of his last five starts, including three in a row, a three-game span in which he’s allowed 19 runs (16 earned) on 27 hits in 13 2/3 innings for a 10.54 ERA.

Collins said Harvey is healthy, in full recovery mode from the Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss the entire 2014 season. But he couldn’t say what lies ahead for the “Dark Knight” if he continues falling.

“I can’t answer that,” Collins said prior to facing the tough task of Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers on Sunday night. “All I know is that he’s pitching tomorrow.”

At this point, what’s the alternative?

“We’ve discussed every possible scenario and way to deal with it,” Collins said. “We’ve talked about disabling him. But you have to have a reason. If he’s physically OK, you just can’t make up something. We’ve talked about giving him some time, sending him down, but we’ve got to get this guy to perform here. All that stuff has been discussed. We’ve just got to ring the rag dry here.

“This is not just a Triple-A guy who’s here for a tryout. This is a guy who started an All-Star Game a couple of years ago so I think we’ve got to push a little farther.”

To characterize Collins as worried would be an understatement. The Mets could still repeat as champions of the National League and go back to the World Series, but the path is going to be that much tougher without Harvey …

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