On Wednesday afternoon at Roger Dean Stadium, Matt Harvey and Henderson Alvarez started against each other in the Miami Marlins' 7-4 victory over their divisional opponents, the New York Mets.
Since Harvey's return from Tommy John Surgery, every step he has taken on the field, albeit a Spring Training field, has been surrounded by flutters of excitement amongst Mets fans. Today was no different as Harvey delivered a 2 2/3-inning outing, tossing 49 pitches while allowing two runs on six hits and a walk.
Even though his line was not the prettiest, Harvey showed that his stuff is, well, looking like his stuff again. In fact, he was throwing harder than people originally thought as Newsday's Mets Writer, Marc Carig pointed out. Harvey allowed zero runs through the first two innings, but he gave up a couple of hits in the third that led to two Marlins runs.
Meanwhile, Alvarez went a full three innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out four.
The Mets put up 10 hits while Miami had 11 of their own. For the Mets, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Ruben Tejada hit RBI doubles in the first inning. Tejada, who might be battling for a Big League roster spot with Matt Reynolds, started his first career game at third base. Tejada also recorded a bases-loaded walk, which drove in a run.
For Miami, outfielder Christian Yelich and shortstop Reid Brignac had two hits each, and Giancarlo Stanton knocked an RBI double into left field in the third inning.
The Marlins pulled away with a five-run seventh inning, which was made possible by some shaky defense by the Mets. Nieuwenhuis, Reynolds, and relief pitcher Scott Rice recorded the three errors for the Mets.
Up next, the Marlins head to Fort Myers to face the Minnesota Twins, and the Mets have a home game against the Washington Nationals in Port St. Lucie.