Matt Harvey enters his start tonight in Atlanta with a 5.43 ERA, which ranks 42nd of 46 qualified National League starters. He is coming off a dispiriting outing last Friday against the Pirates at Citi Field in which he surrendered six runs in five innings.
During last Friday's appearance, one of Harvey's fastballs registered only 90 mph, prompting Terry Collins to turn to pitching coach Dan Warthen in the dugout and ask if the offering had possibly instead been a slider.
It was after Harvey's last outing that Collins crystallized his concern about the Mets' entire pitching staff, which is currently tied with the Phillies for the worst ERA in the majors at 4.