With September rapidly approaching, for the first time in nine years it appears as though the summer sun isn't taking the Mets with it when it sets. Armed with an already solid rotation, more help is on the way for New York -- in the form of southpaw Steven Matz.
While the Mets were doing what they've done so much this season by battering their once fearsome rival Phillies to take a season-high 6 1/2-game lead over the Nationals on Wednesday, good things were also happening in Binghamton.
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In his second rehab start, Matz allowed one hit while striking out six in six shutout innings as Binghamton downed the Eerie Seawolves, 3-1.
Matz hurled 56 pitches (41 strikes) and allowed a two-out single in the first inning before settling in and retiring 16 straight batters. Terry Collins said after the Mets 9-4 victory over Philadelphia, their sixth straight win, that Matz will have one more rehab start before rejoining the team.
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For the left-hander, things couldn't have gone any better Wednesday.
"I felt really good out there," Matz said, according to Newsday. "I wasn't expecting to go six innings and I'm really happy with that. They were fairly aggressive and I had real good command."
Matz will eventually make his return to a Mets team that has a bevy of young, explosive arms. The group is headlined by NL Cy Young Award candidate and reigning Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard.
With these arms and a suddenly explosive lineup, the Mets have taken advantage of a weak part of their schedule and a disappointing Nationals team as they eye their first postseason appearance since 2006 and first winning season since 2008.
Matz burst onto the scene for the Mets on July 28, pitching 7.2 innings of two-run ball against the Reds in his MLB debut while also smacking three hits and driving in four runs. The outing came much to the delight of his grandfather, who went viral for his reactions:
He followed it up by holding the Dodgers scoreless through six innings in his next start.
Matz, who struck out the side in the third inning Wednesday, is working his way back from partial tear of his left lat muscle that placed him on the disabled list on July 6. Overall in his big league career thus far, the Long Island, N.Y. native is 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 13.2 innings.
While Wednesday was a great sign, Matz is clamoring for a return to the NL East race.
"It's exciting to even think about going back," he said. "They're playing great and joining that rotation for the playoff push is all I want."
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