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Harvey: It's frustrating to pitch right now

Elsa / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The more Matt Harvey struggles, the tougher it is for him to diagnose what's wrong. He just knows nothing feels right.

The embattled Mets right-hander was searching for answers Friday after yet another mediocre start, an outing in which he allowed five runs on 11 hits and failed to pitch into the seventh for the fifth time in eight tries this season.

"From one start to the next, it doesn't feel the same at all," Harvey told ESPN's Adam Rubin after New York's 5-2 loss to Colorado at Coors Field. "So, for me, it's frustrating. It wasn't the ballpark or anything like that. It was me. ... I'm just not feeling comfortable throwing the baseball right now. It's frustrating. Something I've obviously done my whole life is gone on the mound and thrown a baseball. And right now it's not an easy task."

Year K% BB% ERA OPP AVG
2015 24.9 4.9 2.71 .219
2016 20.4 6.5 4.93 .305

Harvey's struggles have been accompanied by a recent dip in velocity, perhaps a symptom of faulty mechanics the right-hander said Friday were "progressively getting worse as the game goes on." Last year, Harvey's average four-seam velocity was over 96 mph while reaching a top speed of 100.2 mph. Those readings are down nearly two miles per hour this season, respectively, according to Brooks Baseball.

Earlier this month, manager Terry Collins indicated Harvey's release point was in part to blame for his drop in velocity, which actually experienced an uptick during his previous start in San Diego. On Friday, however, Harvey's average fastball was a career-low 93.62 mph.

"My body feels fine," he insisted. "It's just frustrating being out there right now."

When asked whether his release point could be the source of his season-long slump, Harvey admitted he just doesn't know. "There's a lot of unknowns," he said.

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