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Matt Harvey pitches through another bloody nose

Mark Townsend
·Yahoo Sports Contributor

Anybody who has played sports knows they're at risk of catching one on the nose. We've all been there. Whether it's a ball, an elbow, a hockey stick, another elbow, a forehead or another person's fist, all it takes is that one direct shot to ruin your day.

With that in mind, it's not unusual to see an athlete sporting a bloody nose. However, in the instance of New York Mets ace Matt Harvey, who was spotted bleeding from the nose during his start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, it was unusual because he wasn't on the receiving end of any intended or unintended physical violence.

That was the scene during the second inning. It's actually the second time Harvey has experienced a nose bleed in the middle of a game. Back on May 7, 2013, Harvey pitched through a more noticeable nose bleed en route to his best major-league start — nine scoreless innings with one hit allowed and 12 strikeouts.

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On Saturday, Harvey was able to complete the inning without a delay, but the reoccurring issue had people talking and wondering what the issue might be. Harvey attempted to explain that following the game.

From ESPN New York:

Harvey said "sometimes the weather, travel, going on long plane trips" induces the issue.

"I've had them for a while," he said. "It's something I had as a kid, and I've kind of dealt with the last couple of years."

It's not a major issue, but it's probably a major annoyance.

Speaking of which, the Mets have several major issues that are also annoying. One of those would be the team's six-man rotation, which Harvey admitted had him out of rhythm on Saturday.

"With the six-man and then the day off, throwing last Saturday and then this Saturday is tough," Harvey said. "We're all having to deal with it. It's not an excuse why things didn't go well today. I just have to do a better job of finding a way to get a rhythm throughout an extended period of rest like that."

Harvey said he might throw off a mound twice instead of his customary once between starts to try to stay sharp.

"Obviously one bullpen didn't work this week," he said.

Harvey labored through five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and five walks. If he wants to make an excuse, we'll excuse him while also nodding our heads in agreement. It's not a matter of finding his rhythm in this set up, it's a matter of creating a new rhythm, which is much easier said than done.

There's also the issue of New York's punchless offense, which only came to life after Dodgers starter Zack Greinke left Saturday's game. They made it interesting, but ultimately fell 4-3, falling back to .500 at 41-41.

What will it take to stop the bleeding following a red-hot start to the season? That's the big question, and the Mets have about four weeks to find some answers.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!