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          New York Mets

          Morning Briefing: Can Matt Harvey continue progress vs. Braves?

          • Adam Rubin, ESPN Staff WriterMay 3, 2016, 10:30 AM
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              Adam Rubin has covered the Mets since 2003. He's a graduate of Mepham High School on Long Island and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He joined ESPNNewYork after spending 10 years at the New York Daily News.
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          NEW YORK -- New York Mets right-hander Matt Harvey has shown signs of progress in each of his last two outings. The Dark Knight hopes to keep that forward momentum going on Tuesday at Citi Field.

          Harvey (2-3, 4.76 ERA) opposes Atlanta Braves right-hander Matt Wisler (0-2, 4.26) at 7:10 p.m. ET.

          The Mets have won 12 of their last 14 games. A victory on Tuesday would secure their sixth straight series win.

          TUESDAY’S NEWS REPORTS:

          • Bartolo Colon tossed eight scoreless innings to notch career win No. 220 and the Mets got first-inning homers from David Wright, Yoenis Cespedes and Lucas Duda in a 4-1 win against the Braves on Monday. “I’m not sure if we can keep up this pace for the rest of the year,” Wright said after the Mets upped their homer total to 36 in 24 games. With Cespedes and Duda consecutively homering, the Mets now have hit back-to-back homers on five different occasions this season. Meanwhile, the Braves have five homers total all season. Wright now has 85 go-ahead homers in his career. That matches Darryl Strawberry’s total for the franchise record. Colon broke a tie with Pedro Martinez for second in career wins among Dominican-born pitchers. Juan Marichal ranks first at 243. Read game recaps in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Post, Daily News, Times, Newsday, Record and at NJ.com and MLB.com.

          • Josh Edgin’s rehab tour moved to Las Vegas on Monday. The lefty reliever tossed a scoreless inning at El Paso. Edgin’s rehab assignment expires on Sunday. Given there are no obvious holes in the Mets’ bullpen, it is conceivable team officials just option Edgin to the Triple-A club at that point. Terry Collins said he is unsure whether Edgin’s fastball velocity will ever return to the levels from when he first broke into the majors. “He’s coming along OK,” Collins said. “His velocity is starting to edge up a little bit -- move up. Is he going to get back fully to where he was when we first saw him? I’m not sure. But he’s been pitching OK.”

          • The Braves made roster moves affecting seven players before Monday’s series opener. Among the changes: Chase d'Arnaud -- brother of Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud -- was promoted. John Gant, a right-handed prospect acquired in last July’s trade for Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe, was demoted to Triple-A Gwinnett. Read more in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

          • Jeff Wilpon and Sandy Alderson presented Johnson and Eric O'Flaherty with 2015 National League championship rings before the series opener. O’Flaherty was not a part of the Mets’ postseason roster, but everyone who appeared for the Mets last season is getting a ring. Even Akeel Morris was presented one with Double-A Binghamton last week. Morris allowed five runs and recorded only two outs at Toronto last June 17 in his lone major league appearance. Read more at MLB.com.

          • Travis Taijeron homered and Gabriel Ynoa remained unbeaten as Las Vegas beat El Paso, 6-3. Starter Josh Prevost allowed seven runs in St. Lucie’s 11-6 loss to Bradenton. Vinny Siena and J.C. Rodriguez had Columbia’s only hits in a 5-0 loss to Kannapolis. Read the full minor-league recap here.

          • Bryce Harper was named the NL Player of the Month for April. He beat out Michael Conforto for the award. Harper hit .286 with nine homers, 24 RBIs, five steals and a .406 on-base percentage in April. Conforto hit .365 with four homers, 18 RBIs, one steal and a .442 on-base percentage. Incidentally, Harper is only 4½ months older than Conforto despite their disparate major league experience. Read more in Newsday.

          • Anthony McCarron in the Daily News breaks down Conforto’s “perfect” swing.

          • Was Hunter Pence trolling Noah Syndergaard with a tweet posing as Thor on Monday -- a day after homering against the Met? Pence wrote: “You think me strange?” That’s a line from the 2011 movie “Thor” starring Chris Hemsworth. Read more in the Post and Daily News.

          • The Mets will not be among the 20 or so teams who will watch free-agent Tim Lincecum throw on Friday in Scottsdale, Arizona, according to Mike Puma in the Post.

          • Wright recently scrapped a leg kick, columnist Kevin Kernan writes in the Post.

          • Columnist David Lennon in Newsday looks at the Mets’ high-octane offense.

          • Read more on Duda in the Post.

          • From the bloggers ... Mets Report previews May.

          BIRTHDAYS: Chris Cannizzaro was born on this date in 1938.

          TWEET OF THE DAY:

          YOU’RE UP: Was Conforto more deserving than Harper of the NL Player of the Month award?