Mets' Harvey puts Sox bats to sleep
Fortunately for the White Sox, they won't have to see Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey anymore this season.
Well, there is a slight chance — incredibly slight — the Sox and Mets meet up again in the World Series, but we'll give that one some more time to develop.
Harvey has been one of the top starters in baseball over the first quarter of the season, while the White Sox have been one of the worst-hitting teams.
You had a feeling Tuesday was going to be a rough night for the Sox' offense, and the 24-year-old Harvey was working on a perfect game before Alex Rios reached on an infield single with two outs in the seventh inning.
It was the only hit of the game for the White Sox, who wasted a splendid start by Hector Santiago while falling at New York 1-0 in 10 innings.
“I mean, obviously, everything was working,” Harvey told reporters after pitching 9 innings and striking out a career-high 12.
If Rios didn't barely beat out a grounder in the hole to shortstop, the Sox could have been victimized by the first perfect game from an opposing pitcher since Oct. 2, 1908.
Yes, the White Sox still have some serious offensive issues, but Harvey (4-0, 1.28 ERA) has shut down plenty of teams in the early stages of his promising career and look for the trend to continue.
“Harvey was as advertised tonight,” Sox manager Robin Ventura told reporters. “He has pretty much dominant stuff, as much as anybody we've seen. Kind of the (Justin) Verlander stuff. It's velocity, it's movement, just presence, everything. He had it all. He was impressive.”
Santiago was pretty impressive himself in his second start since taking over for the injured Gavin Floyd, who was scheduled to have season-ending elbow surgery Tuesday.
Santiago scattered 4 hits over 7 scoreless innings before exiting with 111 pitches.
“Hector did a great job just staying with (Harvey),” Ventura said. “But you're going to have to scratch something together to win, even against guys like that have nights like that. You have to grind it out and get something.”
The Mets ended the first interleague matchup between the two teams since 2002 in the 10th inning when Ike Davis drew a leadoff walk against White Sox reliever Nate Jones (0-3).
Juan Lagares sacrificed Davis to second base, and pinch-hitter Mike Baxter's single to right field decided the outcome.
Starting pitcher John Danks and left fielder Dayan Viciedo played together for Class AAA Charlotte Tuesday night on rehab assignments.
Danks (shoulder) pitched 5 innings and allowed 2 runs. The left-hander had 4 strikeouts and 5 walks against Columbus.
Viciedo (oblique) played both games of a double-header and was 0-for-6.
sgregor@dailyherald.com