Reds news: The Dark Knight returns to face Cincinnati

Matt Harvey gets the ball for Game 2 versus the Reds.

The Cincinnati Reds will play two on Wednesday. After postponing yesterday’s game out of an abundance of caution due to an unidentified Reds player testing positive for COVID-19, it appears we’ll have Cincinnati baseball back tonight. Their opponent, the Kansas City Royals, will send former Reds starter Matt Harvey to the mound.

Harvey did not begin his career in Cincinnati, garnering his nickname The Dark Knight after success during his time with the New York Mets. Harvey was dealt to the Queen City in 2018, after struggling out of the gate in the Big Apple. Harvey was 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA before being send to Cincinnati in exchange for Devin Mesoraco.

Once in Cincinnati, Harvey became one of the best pitchers for the Reds – that should give everyone an idea of how far the team’s starting rotation has come in two years. Harvey finished the 2018 season with 7-7 record and an ERA of 4.50.

It was assumed that the Reds front office would pursue Harvey in free agency, since they decided against trading the right-hander at the July 31st deadline. However, Harvey instead decided to sign with Los Angeles Angels and the results were pretty bad.

Harvey signed a one-year/$11M deal with the Angles. For those of you who think Cincinnati got a raw deal by signing Wade Miley to a two-year/$15M contract, check out those numbers. Yikes! Harvey went 3-5 with a disastrous 7.09 ERA in just 12 starts and was released midway through the 2019 season.

Matt Harvey signed on with the Oakland Athletics following his release, but chose free agency last winter. After signing a minor-league deal with Kansas City just a few weeks ago, the Connecticut native will make his 2020 debut against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night in Game 2 of a doubleheader.

Harvey has had success against the Reds in the past, going 4-0 with a 2.68 ERA with 31 strikeouts and only eight walks in 37.2 innings of work. Cincinnati is hoping for better success against Harvey when they go toe-to-toe with the right-hander tonight.

Will the Cincinnati Reds spoil Matt Harvey’s return to the big leagues or will the Dark Knight rise again? Expect to see former Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas back in the lineup tonight for Cincinnati. David Bell will likely turn to a left-handed heavy batting order against Harvey, so Joey Votto, Shogo Akiyama and the red-hot Jesse Winker are likely to be on the field as well.