Mets pitching coach says Harvey's delivery is flawed

Matt Harvey just can't seem to figure it out.

In Saturday's loss to the Cleveland Indians, Harvey was halfway through a perfect game, dicing the Indians in Greg Maddux fashion, having thrown 38 pitches after four innings.

But when the fifth inning came around, Harvey's bid for perfection turned into a nightmare. He yielded two runs in the frame, and was then tagged with three more earned runs in the sixth, as the New York Mets lost 7-5.

As a result, his record dropped to 0-3 on the season with a ballooning 5.71 ERA.

“I thought he was going to have a big year,” Warthen told reporters. “I still think he’s going to have a big, big year. I think right now, if we’ve ever seen Matt Harvey press, this might be the time."

Warthen, described by Noah Syndergaard as "the greatest pitching coach to ever walk the planet," said Harvey is collapsing his back leg from the stretch. What that means is Harvey is trying to get the ball to the plate too quickly in order to minimize the running game.

But by trying a hurry-up technique, his pitching mechanics are suffering, and he's struggling to stay more upright on his pitches like he's used to, which explains his dominance with no one on.

Indians outfielder Rajai Davis re-emphasized that point, saying Harvey was "a different pitcher" once he got to the stretch - and he may have a point.

Through his first two games, Harvey's numbers with runners on base are ugly.

Not only that, but his numbers get astronomically worse as batters get a second or third look at him.

The poor start is carried over from last season for Harvey, who has been reeling since his late breakdown in Game 5 of the World Series.