NEW YORK, NY - MAY 19: Pitcher Matt Harvey #33 of the New York Mets stares at the ball as manager Terry Collins #10 comes out to relieve him during the third inning of a game at Citi Field on May 19, 2016 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
When struggling Matt Harvey gave up nine runs and didn't make it past the third inning of the New York Mets' 9-1 loss to the Washington Nationals on Thursday, manager Terry Collins said he would consider skipping the would-be ace's next start.
But after a meeting with the coaching staff, Collins said the Mets will give Harvey another chance to face the Nationals when they head to Washington for a three-game series.
"Matt is going to do some throwing here this weekend and he's going to start his next time out," Collins said via NJ.com. "He wants to battle through it, which if you know him, his personality is that type where he's going to do what he has to do to get better."
When the 27-year-old will get that opportunity, however, is still up in the air. While Harvey is slated to start on Tuesday, Collins said that could be pushed back ... or forward, considering Harvey threw only 61 pitches on Thursday.
Either way, "We really think he has to get back up on the horse," Collins said.
The 2013 All-Star is 3-6 with a 5.77 ERA in nine starts, after throwing a career-high 216 innings last year. The Mets GM said Harvey is battling through a crisis of confidence.
"This game is about confidence," Collins said via NJ.com. "When it starts to waver, and you start to doubt yourself, you're going to have a tough time ... You have got to learn how to fail in our game. You have got to learn how to fail to get through it. Sometimes it happens at the major league level. You don't want it to, but it does."
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