Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey is coming off a pretty terrible 2016 season. He was 4-10 with a 4.86 ERA before his season ended due to thoracic outlet syndrome. A good number of starting pitchers haven’t been the same after that condition (remember, it forced Chris Carpenter into retirement, for example) and the Mets’ postseason hopes ride on the arms of their young-and-talented rotation, so Harvey’s return to the mound in spring training on Sunday was a pretty big deal. 

Harvey delivered in the first inning, but had a rough second. 

In the first, Harvey was sitting 92-93 with his fastball and hit 94. When he’s at his best, he’s in the 96-97 range -- but let’s keep in mind it’s March 5 and he’s coming off surgery. That was very encouraging to see the velocity up toward the mid-90s. 

The results beared it out, too, as Harvey struck out Dexter Fowler and Aledmys Diaz looking before inducing a Yadier Molina groundout for a perfect first inning. 

Perhaps Harvey’s arm wasn’t ready for more than that, though. In the second inning, he was sitting more 90-91 with his heater. He coughed up a Jhonny Peralta double before hitting Matt Adams with a pitch and giving up a Jose Martinez three-run homer. 

After a few more hitters -- including a strikeout and a runner left on base who would eventually score -- Harvey was pulled. The final line was 39 pitches, 1 2/3 innings, four hits, four earned runs, zero walks and three strikeouts. 

Overall, it was a mixed bag. The first inning was exceptional and the second was brutal. As noted, perhaps his arm just wasn’t ready for the second inning yet. It happens. The season is a month away and it was his first outing since having surgery in the shoulder area. 

Prior to last season, Harvey was 25-18 with a 2.53 ERA (146 ERA+), 1.00 WHIP and 449 strikeouts in 427 innings in his career. Along with Noah Syndergaard, Jacod deGrom, Steven Matz and Robert Gsellman, that version of Harvey would give the Mets one of baseball’s premier rotations.