Harper: I feel bad for Harvey

Shortly after his Washington Nationals pummelled Matt Harvey out of the worst start of his career, Bryce Harper questioned whether the New York Mets right-hander is suffering from last year's increased workload.

Harper told reporters after the Nationals' 9-1 win that even though his club benefited from the right-hander's continued struggles, it was difficult to watch Harvey's hometown fans boo him off the field. Harvey was chased from his shortest outing ever after allowing a career-high nine runs over 2 2/3 innings.

Moments after the game, manager Terry Collins indicated the Mets might skip Harvey's turn in the rotation.

"I feel bad for him," Harper said, according to Baseball Prospectus' Kenny Ducey. "He comes off the mound and gets booed, and he's one of the best in baseball. Working out with him in the offseason, being around him and stuff, he works his tail off. You never want to see a guy do that."

Related: Mets Nation dumps on Harvey after dismal outing

Harvey's recent struggles - his ERA ballooned to 5.77 after Thursday's start - have been accompanied by a dip in velocity, something the right-hander indicated last week might be a a symptom of faulty mechanics getting progressively worse. On Thursday, the average speed of Harvey's fastball was just under 95 mph, and topped out at 96.7. Those readings are down roughly two and three miles per hour, respectively, from where Harvey sat last season, according to Brooks Baseball.

"Yeah, 91-93 instead of 97-98," said Harper, when asked whether he had noticed anything different from his offseason workout partner. "I think that goes back to, he had surgery last year (2013), and he forced 230 innings."

Harvey, 27, returned to impressive results last year after missing the entire 2014 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He authored a 2.71 ERA over a career-high 189 1/3 innings while helping the Mets reach the World Series for the first time since 2000. Between the regular season, playoffs, and spring training, Harvey threw 238 2/3 innings in 2015.

"He's one of the first guys to ever come back and go 0 to 100," continued Harper. "That's tough. I think he's got a great arm, and he's a lot of fun to watch. I've always said that - he's one of the best in baseball and I respect the hell out of him."