afs: Host Philadelphia on Friday night. ' ' '

NEW YORK -- New York Mets right-hander Matt Harvey is considering season-ending surgery after losing feeling in his pitching arm the day of his last start.Harvey was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome during an examination by Dr. Robert Thompson in St. Louis on Thursday, general manager Sandy Alderson said.The issue involves a constriction of the opening in which nerves and blood vessels pass between the neck and shoulder. It is more of a nerve issue in Harveys case, Alderson added.Thompson presented Harvey with two options that are currently being weighed. Harvey could undergo surgery now, which requires a four-month period before returning to pitching. Or Harvey could attempt to delay the procedure by receiving a nerve-blocking injection.Alderson suggested that the latter approach may not be effective and that surgery would ultimately be necessary anyway. Delaying the surgery could impact Harveys availability in 2017.Its unclear how effective that would be or for how long, Alderson said about the nerve blocker. ... I do believe that surgery is probably inevitable and more a question of timing than anything else. So, obviously, to the extent that were backed up for a period of time, it begins potentially to encroach on 2017 as well.Alderson said the Mets were unaware Harvey was dealing with any shoulder discomfort until he complained after his last start. Harvey allowed six runs (five earned) on 11 hits in 3 2/3 innings against the Miami Marlins on Independence Day.Manager Terry Collins said Harvey lost some feeling in the tips of his fingers.He came in the training room afterward and said, My shoulder is dead. My arm is dead. Theres no energy there. I couldnt feel the ball, Collins said. Obviously it was happening during the game. He didnt say anything until after the game.Chris Young, Phil Hughes and Josh Beckett are other pitchers who have dealt with thoracic outlet syndrome.Thompson likely would perform Harveys surgery, according to Alderson. Harvey will return to New York from St. Louis and should make a decision in the next couple of days.Alderson acknowledged there is no certainty Harvey will still be a frontline starter when he returns.Any time that you introduce a significant surgery of this type, I think you have to be cautious about what will happen, Alderson said. But, at the same time, I fully expect that Matt will be back and ready to go in 2017.Collins recalled managing John Hudek with the Houston Astros in the mid-1990s, when Hudek had surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.He came back and pitched with it, Collins said. I dont know if he was as effective as he was before he had it.Chris Young came back and had a good year in Seattle. So I think you can bounce back from it. But everybody is different, as we know. Anytime you have surgery, theres a level of concern.The Mets vaunted rotation is dealing with its share of injury issues. Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard are pitching through bone spurs in their pitching elbows, while Zack Wheeler has endured a pair of setbacks in his return from Tommy John surgery and will not be back until late August at the earliest.Right-hander Logan Verrett will start in place of Harvey on Saturday and should remain in the rotation after the All-Star break, Collins said. Matzs bone spur will need to be surgically removed, although the Mets are hoping anti-inflammatory medication will allow him to delay the procedure until after the season because it requires a three-month recovery time.Wheeler received a cortisone injection last month for nerve irritation in his pitching elbow and has not yet returned to a mound. Alderson said he is confident, not certain that Wheeler will pitch for the Mets this season. Wheeler is planning to return to the slope of a mound this weekend for the first time since the June setback.Hes had a couple of minor setbacks -- nothing serious, but serious enough that projecting any sort of return at this point is a little bit speculative, Alderson said.In his second season back from Tommy John surgery, Harvey is 4-10 with a 4.86 ERA in 17 starts. Alderson said it is not a relief if those numbers were at least partly caused by a shoulder issue that Harvey did not disclose until after his last start. Alderson said Harvey would need to reveal how long the issue has been present.Im not sure theres a sense of relief, Alderson said. Its like using the word closure. Its usually not really the case. In this case, given the potential implications with surgery as an option, it gives us some clarity in terms of where we go from here. Other than that, Im not sure its relief.Alderson noted the minor league system is thin with potential rotation contributors, although he cited Gabriel Ynoa and Sean Gilmartin as potential considerations. Alderson added that the Mets will at least consider trading for a starting pitcher.Well take a look at whats there, Alderson said. Were obviously always comparing whats out there with what we have. So well just have to see.Harveys potential loss for the season comes at a terrible time. Captain David Wright recently underwent season-ending surgery to address a ruptured disk in his neck. And the Mets are set to open a four-game series against the first-place Washington Nationals on Thursday night. The Mets trail by four games in the National League East.I dont want it to sound like woe is me, but woe is us, Collins said. I said something yesterday to one of the coaches. I said, Man, when do you think this is going to stop? Can things possibly get worse? And the next day they continue to get worse. Its something you have to deal with. I know you can walk over on the other side of the field right now and theyre not going to feel sorry for us.Pittsburgh Pirates Gear . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. Stitched Pirates Jerseys . "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/ . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Wholesale Pirates Jerseys . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. Pittsburgh Pirates Pro Shop .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at Boston Strong - a citys recovery from tragedy.TORONTO -- Peter Budaj is still filling in nicely for Jonathan Quick, and the Los Angeles Kings gave him plenty of help Tuesday night.Jeff Carter scored twice during a four-goal second period, Budaj made 19 saves and Los Angeles thumped the Toronto Maple Leafs 7-0.Budaj hasnt allowed a goal in 150:32 and has a 1.86 goals-against average while filling in for Quick, out with a lower-body injury since the opening game of the season.Im glad Im getting into the game rhythm a little bit, Budaj told NHL.com. Im seeing the puck really well right now and I just have to continue working hard and try to help the team.Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli added goals in the second period and Dustin Brown, Kyle Clifford and Dwight King also scored. Los Angeles has won three straight.Toronto goalie Frederik Andersen allowed four goals on 26 shots, and then Jhonas Enroth came on and made 14 saves.The Leafs had won three straight.As optimistic as everything appears one day and you win three in a row, then you get your lunch fed to you and youre not competitive and not organized and not prepared, coach Mike Babcock said. It was a humbling experience for our players and myself here in our building.One of the younger teams in the league, the Leafs were ultimately schooled by a more veteran opponent, one thats captured the Stanley Cup twice in the past five seasons.They taught us a lesson tonight, Toronto forward Nazem Kadri said.The Kings had the bulk of the chances in the first period, scoring with 6:04 left in the period on Browns second this year. Third-line center Nic Dowd did the dirty work, controlling the puck down low before finding Brown atop the left faceoff circle.His shot thhrough a maze of moving bodies beat Andersen, who entered the evening with a .dddddddddddd944 save percentage in his previous five starts. The Leafs had a chance to get the puck out initially but Martin Marincins exit feed never quite reaching Ben Smith along the wall.The Leafs came up with a couple decent chances early in the second. James van Riemsdyk was stopped by Budajs blocker while efforts from the all-rookie line of Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Zach Hyman were also shut down.Matthews, who had 10 points in his first six NHL games, has only one point in his last seven.Following that initial push from the Leafs, the Kings got two goals in less than two minutes, one from Pearson and another from Toffoli.After the Leafs failed to come up with a puck in the neutral zone, Anze Kopitar scooped it up and found Pearson, who easily beat Andersen. Almost two minutes later, Toffoli finished off an odd-man rush for the 3-0 lead.Carter added two more goals for the Kings less than five minutes apart. The first again came after the visitors march easily into the Toronto zone, and Carters shot and goal ending Andersens night.Carter banked his second of the game and fifth this season off Enroth from behind the Leafs goal.Game notesThe Kings added third period goals by Clifford and Lewis. Derek Forbort had a career-high three assists. ... The Leafs were outshot 43-19 overall. Tuesday marked just their second loss in six games at home (4-2-0).UP NEXTKings: Play at Montreal on Thursday night.Maple Leafs: Host Philadelphia on Friday night. ' ' '