NEW YORK -- Well, it looks like Matt Harvey is back.
The New York Mets' ace had lost three of his past four starts, and been beaten up in the process. But he looked like his old self Tuesday night, mowing down the Toronto Blue Jays in a 3-2 Mets victory.
The bullpen almost blew it for Harvey, but the Mets held on, improving their record to 36-30. They remain in first place in the National League East, 1.5 games in front of the Washington Nationals. The Blue Jays dropped to 34-32.
More on Matt: Harvey looked in command from the start, pitching a 1-2-3 first inning. Through four innings, he had allowed just one hit, an Edwin Encarnacion double in the second.
He gave up a pair of singles in the fifth, but worked around those. Jose Bautista hit a two-out triple in the sixth, but was stranded as well.
Harvey went seven innings before giving way to the bullpen, his pitch count having risen to 107. He gave up no runs on four hits, with six strikeouts and no walks. He improved his record to 7-4, and dropped his ERA to 3.32.
In relief: The Mets' bullpen was shorthanded Tuesday, with closer Jeurys Familia and Hansel Robles unavailable. Familia had pitched more than one inning on back-to-back days, and Robles had pitched two innings Monday.
Carlos Torres came on to pitch the eighth, but left with the bases loaded and one out -- and he was lucky to get that out, on a base-running gaffe by the Blue Jays.
Bobby Parnell was next, and allowed two runs to score, via a Bautista sacrifice fly and an Encarnacion RBI single. But then he struck out Chris Colabello with runners on first and second to preserve the Mets' 3-2 lead.
Parnell, the former Mets closer coming back from Tommy John surgery, returned to the mound for the ninth and retired the Blue Jays in order for the save.
Offensively: The Mets had their way with 27-year-old rookie Scott Copeland, who lasted just four innings. Wilmer Flores got things started with a leadoff double in the second inning. Darrell Ceciliani singled him over to third, and Ruben Tejada singled him home. Later in that inning, Harvey helped his own cause with an RBI double.
New York tacked on another run in the third -- Juan Lagares led off with a single, and eventually scored on a Flores sacrifice fly.
That was all the Mets mustered, but it turned out to be just enough.
What's next: These two teams are headed for Toronto to play each other two more times. On Wednesday it'll be Jonathon Niese (3-6, 4.24) on the mound for the Mets, opposed by Drew Hutchinson (5-1, 5.75), with first pitch scheduled for 7:07 p.m. ET.