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Mets' Harvey, Astros' Norris make spring debuts; New York and Houston tie 7-7.

By: The Associated Press

Posted: 02/24/2013 4:20 PM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 02/24/2013 5:51 PM

Houston Astros' Jason Castro, right, watches his two-run home run with New York Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud, left, during the fourth inning of an exhibition spring training baseball game, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, in Kissimmee, Fla. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Matt Harvey made 10 impressive starts as a rookie last season and he has a spot in the Mets' rotation this year.

The 23-year-old right-hander is still not satisfied.

Harvey worked two innings in his spring debut for New York, giving up two hits including a home run by former Mets outfielder Fernando Martinez, and the Houston Astros scored late in a 7-7 tie Sunday.

"I'm not guaranteed anything," Harvey said. "Until I get five or six years in and sign a decent contract, then I can relax a little more. I'm intent on coming to spring training and winning a job and letting everybody know I belong."

Harvey's 2.73 ERA was the fourth-best for a Mets rookie and he struck out 70 in 59 1-3 innings. He struck out three Sunday while trying out some new things in February.

"It is nice knowing that I'll be heading up north hopefully. I can work on this stuff a lot more, whether it's different counts, different changeups, different sliders that I wouldn't normally throw during the season, and would like to throw during the season," he said. "Now is the time to work on it. I do realize that."

Martinez's home run was one of four in a game in which the Astros came back from a 6-1 deficit.

George Springer drove in the tying run in the ninth but the game was called because the Mets' split squad ran out of pitchers. Much of their team remained in Port St. Lucie to play the University of Michigan.

Jamie Hoffmann homered off Houston starter Bud Norris for the game's first run, and Jordany Valdespin's two-run homer put the Mets up, 3-1, in the third inning.

After they stretched it to 6-1 with the help of Josh Satin's two-run double, a two-run homer by Jason Castro sparked the Astros' comeback and impressed new manager Bo Porter.

"I think we're now starting to see the Castro we all thought we were getting when he got here," Porter said.

The Astros catcher is coming back from a major knee injury in 2011 and lesser injuries last year.

"The first at-bat (a groundout) was my first of the spring and I put a lot of intensity into it," Castro said. "The second one I just tried to relax and it helped me free up my hands a little bit."

"I'm just trying to go through the process and the results will come, but for me, especially this early, it's about getting that feeling back and working on that timing," Castro added. "It's a good place to start from."

Norris, a candidate for Houston's opening-day assignment, threw no breaking balls in his two innings and was not upset by Hoffman's home run.

"It was decent pitch, a two-seamer down in," he said. "He put a really good swing on it. He's seen me a few times over the years."

Wilfredo Tovar's RBI single regained a 7-6 lead for the Mets in the eighth, but the Astros tied it in the ninth on infield hits by Jake Elmore, Nate Freiman and George Springer.

NOTES: Lucas Duda struck out in all four of his at bats as the Mets' DH. ... Satin played the whole game at first base for the Mets, scored twice and had two doubles. ... The Mets beat Michigan, 5-2. ... Catcher Max Stassi will see a specialist about what the Astros suspect might be a sports hernia.

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