Harvey hit hard; Hern¨¢ndez dazzles in debut
Jeffrey Flanagan
@FlannyMLBKANSAS CITY -- This was not what the Royals or right-hander Matt Harvey were looking for in his third start this season.
Harvey, signed as a non-roster free agent on July 28, had shown promise in his first two starts, displaying a 94-95 mph fastball with late life in the first two innings of those outings before faltering in the third.
But on Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium, Harvey essentially had nothing working in a 10-1 loss to the Indians. Harvey lasted just 1 1/3 innings and gave up six hits and five runs -- including three homers.
The 10 batted balls against Harvey averaged a 95.9 mph exit velocity, per Statcast, which classifies anything 95 mph or higher as hard-hit.
¡°It just kind of all fell apart pretty quickly,¡± Harvey said. ¡°It felt this week that I had figured some stuff out, and I was pretty excited to go out tonight and show that. But clearly, it didn¡¯t happen.
¡°I couldn¡¯t really [get a] feel for anything. Everything was just spinning. It was extremely frustrating to let the guys down and struggle that much and really hurt the bullpen. I¡¯m not doing my job. I¡¯m taking it the hardest. It¡¯s something I take a lot of pride in, so this is very hard.¡±
It marked the eighth time in Harvey¡¯s career that he gave up three long balls in a single game, including seven since he pitched the Mets to a World Series berth in 2015.
Francisco Lindor smacked a 2-2 fastball into the right-field seats in the first. Later in the inning, Franmil Reyes powered a slider over the right-center-field wall. And in the second, Roberto P¨¦rez blasted another slider for a two-run homer to right.
The only good news for the Royals was a peek at the future. Right-hander Carlos Hern¨¢ndez, 23, made his big league debut, replacing Harvey in the second.
Hern¨¢ndez, 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, is the Royals¡¯ No. 12 prospect per MLB Pipeline. He had not appeared in any games above Class A Lexington, but he was plopped on the 40-man roster last fall to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. He's started 41 of his 42 Minor League outings and projects as a potential starter, boasting a four-seamer that ranges from 95-99 mph.
Hern¨¢ndez relieved Harvey with two on and one out and got two quick flyouts.
¡°Very impressive,¡± Royals manager Mike Matheny said. ¡°A real bright spot for us. Bringing him in with a couple of guys on, I don¡¯t know how you couldn¡¯t be impressed. He attacked the strike zone, threw breaking balls for strikes. He got swings and misses. He didn¡¯t try to overthrow, for the most part."
Hern¨¢ndez threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings, gave up two hits and one walk and struck out two.
¡°He kept things under control and had a great tempo,¡± Matheny said. ¡°He got the ball on the rubber, and he had a plan and he executed. About as good a debut as you could hope to have.
¡°Every time these guys step on the mound for the first time, there¡¯s so much that goes into it, the work they¡¯ve done, and all the support from all over. And then he just took over.¡±
Hern¨¢ndez was given the ball from his first big league strikeout of Roberto P¨¦rez in the third inning. He said it will be kept in his living room.
¡°I felt really nervous [at first],¡± Hern¨¢ndez said through interpreter Luis Perez. "But it went away after the first pitch.
¡°Right after the game, I got to talk to my mom and send text messages. Then I got a chance to talk to my wife. Just very appreciative to get that opportunity.
¡°I¡¯ve worked really hard for this moment, and to get that moment was really a lot of work.¡±
Hern¨¢ndez's mom¡¯s reaction to his phone call?
¡°She cried,¡± he said, smiling.