Baltimore Orioles: Matt Harvey Surprises in Kansas City

Orioles starting pitcher Matt Harvey showed the best version of himself on Sunday, tossing six shutout innings in the win over the Royals

On Sunday, the Baltimore Orioles played the rubber match of a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium, coming off of an 8-4 win on Saturday night. On the mound for the Orioles was veteran right-hander Matt Harvey, who tossed his best outing of the season in what turned out to be a shutout win for the Orioles.

Entering the start, Harvey had last appeared on the mound for the Orioles back on July 7th against the Toronto Blue Jays, when he allowed six earned runs and was lifted from the game before making it out of the fourth inning. The outing was just one of many tough starts for Harvey this season, which is reflected in his shoddy 7.13 ERA.

However, on Sunday afternoon against the Royals, Harvey came ready to change the narrative surrounding himself in 2021. For the first time this season, Harvey held the opposing offense scoreless, wrapping up six innings of work for just the second time this season and the first time since April. Harvey induced eight swings and misses in the game, second only to the Royals’ flame-throwing righty, Carlos Hernandez, who topped out at 100.7 MPH on Sunday.

Though he didn’t rack up many strikeouts, Harvey was capable of limiting hits and walks throughout the game, something he has struggled with this season. Of the 23 batters he faced, only four reached base via hit or walk, keeping the Royals from putting together any sort of big inning. The performance from Harvey earned him his fourth win of the season, improving his record to 4-10 on the year.

According to RosterResource, Matt Harvey is expected to make his next appearance at home this coming Saturday when the Orioles welcome in the Washington Nationals for another edition of the Beltway Series.