A Harvey/Wheeler Doubleheader, Like The Old Days!

San Francisco Giants v New York Mets

See, it’s good to get out of the division once in a while. Especially when you get to face a flaming bag of manure like the one the Giants are playing like right now. The Giants defense in that four run Mets first didn’t exactly remind anybody of the defense of Willie Mays, Garry Maddox, or Brad Van Pelt. Eduardo Nunez ole’d a line drive into a so-called “triple” by Neil Walker which drove in two, and Rene Rivera finished the inning with a fly ball to center field which Gorkys Hernandez turned into an drinking binge at 1 Oak and drove in the fourth run of the inning.

All that was left was for Zack Wheeler to do was get through six innings without walking the house or having his arm fly into the Giants dugout. Well he walked four, but he got through six innings in only 95 pitches. This is really all I look out with Wheeler nowadays, and that combined with his improved fastball command went hand in hand in a 6-1 victory at Citi Field on Tuesday. It was more chicken soup for the soul which was much needed after Matt Harvey returned from his suspension and had a conversation with the team, and then with the media before the game.

In addressing what had occurred on Saturday, Harvey acknowledged that he had been out late Friday in Manhattan — “past curfew,” as he put it — and said he then played golf on Saturday morning. (…)

“I’m extremely embarrassed,” Harvey said at one point.

“It’s completely my fault,” he said at another. “I put myself in a bad place to be ready for showing up for a ballgame, and that is my responsibility. I take full blame for that.”

It’s like when Wheeler made his major league debut and defeated the Braves back in 2013. Harvey started that day with a win. But he started Tuesday with an apologetic press conference. How far we’ve all fallen.

A Harvey/Wheeler Doubleheader, Like The Old Days!
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 09: Zack Wheeler #45 of the New York Mets pitches in the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field on May 9, 2017 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

In any event, good for Harvey for coming up with the best response to a terrible self-imposed situation. Of course, the best response is not to have done what he did in the first place. The answer to the question: How can he get back into his teammates good graces” is simple: Be a good teammate. Every weight that your teammates life, lift an extra ten pounds. Every lap that your teammates run around the field, run one more. Be the first one at the ballpark. Set the example. And know that your actions affect 24 other players, and your coaching staff. And Ray Ramirez. I don’t know how, but him too.

Even if it’s just for the next two years before you go sign somewhere else, I’m sure we’d all be fine with that at this point.

Today’s Hate List

  1. Buster Posey
  2. Julian Edelman
  3. Cody Ross
  4. Matt Cain
  5. Cory Gearrin
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