YOU CAN QUOTE THAT!

“A dream for me growing up was being there and being that guy.” — Matt Harvey

“He’s a different cat. His make up is off the charts.” — Terry Collins

Finally there’s something positive to talk about! MATT HARVEY was THAT GUY last night! His line looked like this: 5.1 IP, 11 K, 3 BB, 0 ER. Are you kidding me? Is this real? Did I really see this happen? The Mets 2010 1st round draft pick, Matt Harvey, was exactly what the doctor ordered for the skidding Mets. Besides having great composure and professionalism, Harvey made franchise history for the most strikeouts in a Major League debut with a whopping 11 strikeouts! He also became the first player since 1900 to have 10+ strikeouts and 2 hits in their debut. A METS PROSPECT ACTUALLY LIVED UP TO ALL THE HYPE SURROUNDING HIM! This is just unbelievable. Now, I’m not saying Harvey is going to be our knight in shining armor, but we needed something to be positive about and he gave us that- a BRIGHT future! He is a straight power pitcher with a killer breaking ball and working out other pitches including a change-up. His raw power was enough to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks for his first win. Did I mention he also went 2-2? (We should put him in the every day line-up. He could replace Jason Bay…just kidding… kind of…) His attitude and work ethic make him a likeable player and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him on the team!! Congrats Harvey on an amazing first start! Welcome to the Big Leagues and to the Mets! (Follow Matt Harvey on Twitter: @MattHarvey43- send him some well wishes!)

Harvey and Johnson during one of their many discussions throughout the game.

Coming out of the same draft as Harvey, Josh Edgin was another key player last night. He gave us a solid relief effort- getting outs, keeping the Dbacks off the board, and doing exactly what he’s supposed to do. What an awesome effort from him!

Hairston gave us another positive for the night! He went 3 for 3 off Wade Miley! Way to go, Scott!

Winning looks good on the Mets! Players seemed upbeat and looked like the team from the first half. Recently players have looked worn down and outright miserable. Thole and Byrdak even went at each other in the dugout a couple of days ago. That’s not what we want. Winning, getting a good start from our rookie, and scoring runs is what we want. Let’s see if the Mets can show their heart and keep up the positivity!

On to the negatives… I can’t help but point out some of the negatives plaguing the Mets. (1) David Wright is usually our only bright light, but lately he’s been struggling on a 0 for 14 skid. He’s swinging with an upper cut and striking out more frequently. I don’t like this at all! He needs to fix his swing and get back into his offensive dominance that marked the first half! (2) Ike Davis= all or nothing. Either he’s hitting into a double play or hitting a bomb out of the stadium. I don’t know what to make of him. It’s so frustrating! And random, but his crazy eye movements when batting freak me out. That has nothing to do with anything, but I thought I’d tell you. haha. (3) The bullpen makes me have chest pains. They have lost 21 games this season, which is 29th in the Majors. Case and point- last night’s game. Even though they won the game, it was not an easy outing for Rauch, Byrdak, and Parnell. Rauch gave up a run, Brydak hit a batter, and well Bobby was just a mess. I really thought they were going to ruin it for Harvey. Is it possible to trade the entire bullpen prior to the deadline, because we need a complete makeover!

ROSTER CHANGES– Lucas Duda was sent down to minors to focus on hitting. The Mets released RHP Miguel Batista. Mike Nikeas was sent down to bring up Rob Johnson, who caught for Harvey last night. Johnson caught Harvey in Buffalo and they share a very strong pitcher/catcher dynamic according to Harvey. Harvey campaigned hard to have Johnson catch him in last night’s game.

KEEPING IT GOING– Jon Niese tries to keep the winning going tonight at 9:40PM against the Dbacks. LET’S GO METS! LET’S GET IT NIESE!

Tonight’s lineup!