If you’re an avid Mets fan — you’re reading this, so you probably are — none of the statements and assertions made in either of those articles are particularly new. Mets fans have seen this movie for years, and the plot never changes regardless of whether the team makes it to the World Series or fails to reach the postseason.

Sorry to break it to all of you: it’s not changing any time soon. With a prime location in the country’s biggest market and a huge fan base willing to buy tickets and pay for all the ballpark concessions and accoutrements, the Mets are good business. No matter how angry fans are at the team’s performance or how frustrated they are at the lack of necessary offseason reinforcements, the Mets will always be good business. As long as that’s true, the Wilpons will continue to reap a financial reward that no one would willingly walk away from. As long as that’s true, nothing’s going to change.

So, you might ask, how does change occur in the bleak and dire situation I’ve described? Well, it definitely isn’t spurred by online anger and vitriol, not by tweets about the aptness of the infamous Mr. Met middle (?) finger or by jokes at the expense of the unfortunate social media staffer in charge of the official account the day after the Yankees trade for Giancarlo Stanton. Like all change, it happens with action.

What that action is specifically is up to you. It could be a personal decision to limit your devotion to your beloved team — which isn’t an option for those diehards that are in way too deep at this point with no feasible way out. It could be going to five games a season instead of 10 as a way to spend more time pursuing less painful hobbies, such as gardening or working on that screenplay idea you had from college. It could be giving your (innocent) season ticket representative a piece of your mind as you begrudgingly sign up for another six-month-long torture session.

My suggestion is, though, that you be smart about your act of defiance. Here are a few good ways to do that:

1. Check out StubHub. Like Kate said in her article, a true boycott of the Mets is essentially impossible and — regarding a baseball team — would be woefully ineffective. If you want your voice heard about the state of the team, at least in my opinion, you have to go to games. A guilt-free way to do is to buy your tickets from other fans instead of directly from the team. Your compatriots retrieve some of the money they shelled out while you get to go to the game. A win for all parties involved.

2. Revitalize the Citi Field parking lot atmosphere. Before any given Mets game, you’ll undoubtedly see beers drank and cornhole played by both home and away fans. You may even see food grilled. What if, instead of waiting on that Shake Shack line, you and a few friends set up shop in Flushing Meadows Park to get your lunch or dinner fill before walking over to the stadium? This one’s another multi-level win, from improving the pregame atmosphere to saving you both time (in the ballpark) and money (in your pocket).

3. Take the train to the game. This one is actually a method endorsed by the team! Parking, to the tune of $25, is another major revenue stream for the Mets and choosing to use the LIRR or subway would save you some serious dough in addition to helping out the environment. The 7 train gets crowded after games, and Mets-Willets Point is sometimes a tough station to get home from in a timely fashion, but voting with your wallet is a serious commitment that requires certain sacrifices. Change isn’t easy.

4. Use outdoor vendors to your advantage. They aren’t as filling as the ones inside Citi Field, but the soft pretzels sold on the boardwalk and in the parking lot on the other side of the train tracks are usually just $3 and are always worth it. Same goes for the $1 water bottles right out of the cooler.

5. Do your shopping beforehand. This one is another big time-saver. Want a Noah Syndergaard or Michael Conforto shirt? You’ll save a nice chunk of change by getting it at a local sporting goods store than inside Citi. You also won’t have to miss entire half-innings just to check out the team store.

There have been varying opinions as to the true financial health of the Mets’ ownership group, owing to their financial gain (and eventual loss) from the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme. Debts from the Madoff case have provided a reasonable explanation for the team’s somewhat reluctant approach toward free agency and absorbing hefty contracts. But, years after the resolution of the financial crime committed by a close Wilpon family friend, that excuse starts to look less and less legitimate. And if recent news reports about Wilpon-run Sterling Project Development playing a big role in the Islanders’ stadium deal at Belmont Park are true, there’s a major cash infusion into the family’s coffers in the years to come.

Before us, then, are two possibilities. The first is that the Wilpons aren’t hoarding their money away from investing in the Mets, it’s that they don’t have much of it anymore. The second is that they’re doing fine financially and the choice to run the Mets on the budget of a Minnesota or a Pittsburgh is one of their own volition. There isn’t much evidence in support of the former claim and if the latter is true, it’s time for MLB to step in and intervene.

But, from Bud Selig’s friendship with the Wilpons to Rob Manfred’s jokes about the Royals being bigger spenders than the Mets, relying on the league office to pull a Frank McCourt is about as unlikely as Jose Reyes not being the starting second baseman come Opening Day.

So, Mets fans, the tide turns to you. If you want to turn this thing around, you make it happen in any way you like. Big or small, loud or quiet, flashy or tame, it can make a difference.

Photo credit: Bill Streicher – USA Today Sports

There are usually two paths if the Mets aren’t able to score early, the first featuring a half-decent start and strong relief pitching with the second consisting of a brutal beatdown by the opposition in all aspects of the game.

Monday’s Subway Series opener at Yankee Stadium followed the first pathway, as Curtis Granderson and Yoenis Cespedes hit solo home runs off former Met Luis Cessa to give the Mets a 2-0 lead in the 3rd inning. Cessa, who went to the Tigers with Michael Fulmer in the deal that brought Cespedes to Flushing in 2015, pitched well and threw hard in his 4.1 innings before leaving with what appeared to be an arm injury.

Somewhat stunningly so, Rafael Montero also pitched well, only allowing two runs in six impressive innings. Spotted the early lead, Montero was on the verge of total collapse in the fourth when he loaded the bases with one out, but he coaxed a sacrifice fly from Gary Sanchez and got Chase Headley to fly out to escape more damage.

He wasn’t out of the woods, though, as Aaron Judge greeted him with his 36th homer of the season in the sixth to the tie the game at 2. Montero was able to get the next three batters out to finish off one of his best starts as a Met. The key for him has always been to keep his cool when in bad situations, and not being able to do just that has resulted in his rough season. Monday was a solid step forward, even though he coughed up the lead.

After Hansel Robles managed to barely eke through his usual high-wire act of a seventh inning, he was left in to start the eighth by Terry Collins, which predictably blew up right in TC’s face, to the surprise of no one. He grooved a pitch to Aaron Hicks, who promptly deposited it in the right field seats to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Did Hansel point skyward as Hicks’ homer soared far over the fence? Why yes, yes he did.

Two batters later, Erik Goeddel gave up a bomb to Sanchez to officially put a cap on this one. Dominic Smith reached base with an infield single in the 9th against Dellin Betances to bring up Amed Rosario as the tying run. He struck out on three pitches.

Will the offense reveal itself?

Not really a banner night for the Mets’ hitters. The Granderson and Cespedes home runs were the road team’s only extra base hits of the night, as the rest of the lineup scattered four hits and three walks. Granted, the lineup without Neil Walker, Jay Bruce and Lucas Duda is a little lacking but the Mets who were in the lineup on Monday didn’t put up much of a fight.

The main issue was that guys just kept swinging right through the hard fastballs of Cessa, Chad Green and Betances and over the curveballs of David Robertson. Rosario continues to struggle with the strike zone and with Smith still getting acclimated to big-league pitching, the Mets just don’t have a very deep lineup right now. The rare good news is that Green through 45 pitches and might not be available for the next few days.

A silver lining, kind of

After his loss against the Rangers last week, Terry Collins had this to say about Montero: “We don’t have a lot of options right now. And if we can’t come up with an option, he’s going to go back out.” Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

Montero at least earned another start with his performance in the Bronx, but that’s probably more due to the current state of the Mets’ pitching staff than Montero himself. Still, though, his talent is undeniable. The 95+ mph fastball and sharp slider (at times) definitely plays in the majors, especially because his heater — when on — seems to have deceptive movement on it that puzzles hitters. His issue is keeping positive momentum going, which means how he pitches this weekend against the Marlins will tell us if Monday was a fluke or legitimate progress.

Patience, young Jedi

Through 13 games (for Rosario) and four games (for Smith), the Mets’ rookies haven’t exactly been lighting the world on fire. Amed’s problem is obviously his preponderance of strikeouts and, conversely, his lack of walks. In 44 plate appearances, the Mets’ top prospect has struck out 12 times and walked none. Obviously, that won’t keep up and it’s silly to make any legitimate determinations based off such a small sample size. It’s simply worth nothing.

For Smith, with even less plate appearances — just 14 — what’s apparent is that he has a very good command of the strike zone. Whether it’s laying off balls or just fouling back tough pitches, he has an approach that goes well beyond his 22 years. He basically hasn’t hit anything hard in the air yet and most of his contact has been up the middle and on the ground. Like Rosario was in his first two series in Denver and at home against the Dodgers, Smith is still getting his feet under him. Put the pitchforks down.

Looking ahead

Tuesday brings one of the better pitching matchups the Mets have been a part of this season, as Jacob deGrom returns to the site of his MLB debut to face off against new Yankee Sonny Gray. Could be a lot of strikeouts on both sides.

Photo credit: Adam Hunger – USA Today Sports

And, in a way, it was a completely reasonable thing to write at the time. The Mets were coming off back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since the turn of the century. Just a few months prior, they signed Yoenis Cespedes to a four-year, $110 million contract. The starting rotation, when healthy, could have been one of the best baseball had seen in years. Expectations were high and, compared to previous iterations of the team, so was the payroll.

In typical Mets fashion, that optimism has been rewarded with a mess of a season, from the chronic injuries to players failing to show up to games to trade requests. Underperformance, especially from the once-vaunted pitching staff, has been ubiquitous, leaving the formerly “contending” Mets competing with the Padres for the fourth-worst record in the NL.

With the Mets being a New York City team, you’d think such a flop would be constant backpage fodder and the source of endless material for the city’s radio stations. You’d also think such losing from a team many expected to be a serious playoff threat would lead to a famed closed-door team meeting or two, and possibly pissed-off postgame press conferences from the manager or team leaders.

Well, you’d be fairly wrong. Outside of the canned comments from Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins about how much injuries have affected the on-field product — or even jokes from Alderson about Matt Harvey’s nightlife — there has been nothing resembling dissent or discord.

In one way, that could be considered a good thing. An assured sign of a strong, tight-knit clubhouse is that everything gets handled in-house. Teammates that have each other’s back won’t go right to the press to leak details about incidents brought on by the frustration that usually accompanies such poor play.

On the other hand, though, it reeks of apathy. Even a cursory examination of the current Mets — an issue exacerbated by the departure of Jay Bruce, one of the few players to seem genuinely pissed off during the weekly Sunday blowout loss — would lead the common fan to notice as astounding lack of emotion. It might just be my own negativity, but such detachment doesn’t often result when a team fails to reach its level.

That indifference has spread throughout the organization, and seemingly into the media as well. The losing in 2017, be it because of how quickly it began in the season or because the Mets have never been particularly close to turning it around, has almost started to feel like a stated fact. The only harsh back pages relating to the Mets have regarded non-baseball matters, be it Harvey’s relationship struggles or #DildoGate.

In recent seasons, the Mets getting crushed at home by teams led by the likes of Martin Perez or Nick Pivetta would elicit brutal columns and articles taking the team to task for such bad efforts. Those performances would certainly be capped by a red-faced Collins addressing the media with an almost burning rage, partially directed at his own players and partially at the media members for stoking his fire with drops of gasoline.

This is from 2011, this is from 2016. Not much difference between the two except for that the 2011 team was going nowhere and the 2016 team was headed to the playoffs, albeit for a short amount of time. The biggest post-loss reaction from Terry this season has arguably been after the famed Sunday Massacre when the Nationals beat the Mets 23-5 and Noah Syndergaard got hurt.

In 2017, however, whether it’s due to Terry knowing he won’t be back in 2018 or a simple resignation to his team’s fate, there has been no such public displays regardless of how bad the on-field product has been.

Same goes for the financial state of the Mets, which has been one of the biggest issues the team has faced this decade. When teams like the Rays and Indians are eating the entirety of the contracts owed to the players dealt to them by the Mets in order to give up less substantial prospect packages, there’s probably something the ownership group isn’t relaying to fans and the media.

If the Mets were as “all-in” on improving the team as much as possible in the short-run as Puma (and others) reported this spring and in the past few springs, wouldn’t they be willing to absorb some money on the Duda, Bruce and Reed deals to garner higher-caliber and more pro-ready returns? One would think so, but the proof doesn’t seem to be in the pudding.

Free cash certainly is not an issue for the Wilpon family, as Sterling Equities — the Wilpon-owned parent company of the Mets — recently bought an esports franchise for a fee that ESPN has reported as being at least $20 million. The real question is if some of that cash on hand is destined to be re-invested in the Mets, who have a boatload of money coming off the books this offseason (an amount that will be healthily boosted by the insurance money to be collected on David Wright’s contract).

For years, ownership has done yeoman’s work in trying to convince everyone that the team’s payroll and other budgetary concerns will not affect the front office’s pursuit of maximizing organizational talent.

But, with the Mets possessing baseball’s 13th-highest payroll (per Spotrac, before the recent trades are all factored in), behind such big-market powers like the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners, that “promise” feels like just that, a bunch of words with no legitimate substance behind it. Remind you of anything?

Photo credit: Charles LeClaire – USA Today Sports

Through much of this disappointing 2017 campaign, however, the Cespedes honeymoon has been on the verge of fading. Limited with nagging hamstring injuries and underperformance when he been able to play, he just hasn’t been the same lineup-anchoring presence. However, if Tuesday’s 6-5 Mets win over the Padres is any indication, the slugger might be turning his season around.

Cespedes got New York on the board early, crushing a solo shot off Kyle Lloyd — making his MLB debut — in the top of the 1st to put the Mets up 1-0. It was the slugger’s first home run since June 23 in San Francisco and the type of brute-strength bomb he has made a staple of his career.

His two other hits, a RBI double in the fifth and go-ahead check-swing Little League roundtripper in the seventh, may have had more impact over the course of the game, but neither felt more like 2015 Cespedes than when he deposited Lloyd’s hanging slider into Petco Park’s left field seats. Michael Conforto came in for him on a double-switch later on — it was due to leg “fatigue” — but it was a positive night nonetheless.

Seth Lugo gave the lead back in the second, when home runs from Hunter Renfroe and Allen Cordoba made it 3-1 in favor of the Friars. San Diego would score once more off Lugo, who mostly settled down after making a few mistakes in the first couple of frames. He was charged with four runs (three earned) in his six innings and only struck out one batter with no walks.

Officially, Cespedes’ third hit of the night was ruled a triple, as he accidentally plopped a Phil Maton pitch just inside the right field foul line just where the shifted Padres weren’t. A wild Wil Myers relay throw past third base allowed Cespedes to finish off the Mets’ second error-aided Little League home run in as many series.

Paul Sewald threw a pair of perfect innings to back Lugo up but, for the second night in a row, potential trade candidate Addison Reed made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth. He needed Asdrubal Cabrera to make a nice play on a Jose Pirela grounder to stave off San Diego and bring the Mets to within nine games of the Rockies in the NL Wild Card race.

Bullpen bouncing back

If the top story from this win is Cespedes’ three-hit performance, the second-biggest should be Sewald, who looked as good on Tuesday as he has all season. After a rough start to June, the rookie has been the Mets’ best reliever in the past month or so. In Sewald’s last 13 innings (12 games), he has given up just nine baserunners and three runs while striking out 16 batters.

When his fastball is moving in on righties (and away from lefties) and the slider is working, Sewald can be fairly close to unhittable. Achieving a certain level of consistency is his next goal, but for now, he continues to be one of the most important guys in a bullpen that has quietly worked to redeem itself of late.

The outfield rotation

This is something Terry Collins, much to the chagrin of most fans, has mentioned in the past and will clearly stick to. Curtis Granderson got the start in center field over Conforto with a righty on the mound and reached base three times in five plate appearances. He also scored a pair of runs.

San Diego’s next two starters, Jhoulys Chacin and Luis Perdomo, are both right-handed, so convention would tell you that Terry would try to get Granderson in the lineup at least one more time this series. Cespedes’ status for Wednesday’s game is still unclear but it wouldn’t be surprising to see at least a preventative off-day for Yoenis, with Conforto starting in left and Granderson back in center.

Looking ahead

Steven Matz, he of three consecutive subpar outings, will be on the bump for the Mets on Wednesday night at 10:10 p.m. Eastern against Chacin, who has a 2.72 ERA since the start of June and boasts a sub-2.00 ERA at Petco Park this season. He was supposed to start on Tuesday, but was pushed a day due to lower back tightness. Chacin’s last outing against the Mets — back on May 23 — was a disastrous one, as he gave up seven first inning runs en route to a loss.

Matz’s last start of 2016 was against the Padres and it was one of the best of his career, as he allowed one hit through 7.1 scoreless innings in a 5-1 win.

Photo credit: Jake Roth – USA Today Sports

Behind a five-run eighth inning and five scoreless innings from the bullpen on Wednesday, the Mets won the rubber game from the defending champs, but it was a costly win. Neil Walker suffered an apparent hamstring injury while running out a bunt attempt in the third. He collapsed to the ground in pain and wouldn’t return. Gavin Cecchini was scratched from the Las Vegas 51’s game and he would presumably be called up if Walker requires a trip to the DL.

Underlying the win was a very troubling start from Matt Harvey, who had diminished fastball velocity and gave up three home runs in his four innings of work. Anthony Rizzo and Ian Happ went back-to-back to start the game and, a few innings later, Kyle Schwarber effectively ended Harvey’s night with a bomb to right-center that cleared the Shea Bridge. Afterward, Harvey admitted he was fatigued and wasn’t in a good place physically. Just another day in Flushing.

Things aren’t going so well for the Nationals, either, who now hold just a 8.5-game lead in the NL East over the Mets. They were swept at home by the Rangers over the weekend and dropped two of three to the Braves as their pitching — both of the starting and relief varieties — has hit a real rough patch.

When and Where

Game 1: Thursday at 7:10 p.m. EST (TV: SNY; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Game 2: Friday at 7:10 p.m. EST (TV: SNY/ESPN; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Game 3: Saturday at 4:10 p.m. EST (TV: WPIX; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Game 4: Sunday at 1:10 p.m. EST (TV: WPIX; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Baseball Weather

Thursday: Mostly sunny with a high of 76F and 13 MPH winds (20% chance of rain at night)

Friday: Showers with a high of 73F and 10 MPH winds (60% chance of rain at night)

Saturday: Morning showers but cloudy by the afternoon with a high of 82F and 11 MPH (20% chance of rain)

Sunday: Morning thunderstorms with a high of 81F and 17 MPH (40% chance of rain)

Probable Pitching Matchups

Thursday: RHP Robert Gsellman (5-3, 4.95 ERA, 5.58 DRA, .291 TAv, -0.06 WARP) vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez (5-1, 2.91 ERA, 3.72 DRA, .250 TAv, 1.63 WARP)

Friday: LHP Steven Matz (1-0, 1.29 ERA, 6.77 DRA, .178 TAv, -0.10 WARP) vs. RHP Max Scherzer (7-4, 2.36 ERA, 1.77 DRA, .197 TAv,  3.85 WARP)

Wednesday: RHP Seth Lugo (1-0, 1.29 ERA, 5.87 DRA, .227 TAv, -0.03 WARP) vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg (7-2, 3.27 ERA, 2.29 DRA, .224 TAv, 3.09 WARP)

Thursday: RHP Jacob deGrom (5-3, 4.33 ERA, 2.86 DRA, .260 TAv, 2.42 WARP) vs. RHP Joe Ross (3-2, 6.39 ERA, 4.67 DRA,  .292 TAv, 0.42 WARP)

Who’s Hot?

Ryan Zimmerman: After a lost 2016 season in which he slashed .218/.272/.370 and hit just 15 home runs, the 32-year-old has been one of the best hitters in baseball. He’s batting .394 in June and has already hit more home runs (19) than he has hit since 2013. He’s also 11-for-21 (with four home runs) in six games against the Mets this season.

Adam Lind: The Nationals’ other first baseman has also been incredible despite initially being signed to the Clint Robinson/Tyler Moore role of occasional starts and regular pinch-hitting appearances. When Zimmerman missed a few games last week and over the weekend with a back injury, Lind stepped in admirably and now boasts an OPS above 1.000. He has cut down his strikeouts drastically (currently with a career-low 12.6 K%) while maintaining his power.

The Mets bullpen: The Mets’ relievers have actually been pretty good as of late. Since last Friday’s bullpen collapse in Atlanta, the beleaguered group has allowed just one run if you don’t count the mop-up runs given up on Tuesday against the Cubs. Is it a coincidence that the pen is pitching better as the starters have given the Mets more length? I’d think not.

Juan Lagares: With all the Mets’ outfield injuries, Lagares has gotten more playing time and is running with it. He had the game-tying triple on Wednesday night and has a hit in seven of his last eight games. And, in true Juan Lagares fashion, his batting average in June is .360…just like his on-base percentage.

Who’s Not?

Shawn Kelley: Any Nationals reliever could go here but I’ll pick Kelley, who was great for Washington last season but has been embodied the issues with Dusty Baker’s team in 2017. He has almost eclipsed his walk total from 2016 already and gave up the go-ahead three-run home run to Robinson Chirinos in the 11th inning on Saturday that led to another bullpen blowup. His 6.88 ERA is more than two runs worse than any of his other yearly marks.

Jose Reyes: He is 4-for-29 in June and has the fourth-worst wRC+ (50) in all of MLB this season among qualified hitters. If only the Mets had a top middle-infield prospect that could aptly replace him.

When We Last Met

The Mets took the first two games in D.C. at the end of April, but the series finale was the 23-5 loss that Noah Syndergaard got hurt in. Just one of the Mets who pitched in that game — Fernando Salas — is still on the 25-man roster. Josh Smoker and Syndergaard are on the DL, Sean Gilmartin is in the Cardinals’ organization and Kevin Plawecki (who gave up three home runs in his two innings of work) is with Las Vegas.

It’s Literally a 10-Day DL

Oh boy, lots to cover here. Neil Walker came up lame trying to run out a bunt in Wednesday’s game and was diagnosed with a “left leg injury” by the Mets. As he clearly grabbed his left hamstring while limping up the first base line, that much was clear. Smoker was put on the 10-day disabled list with a shoulder strain after tossing a career-high 81 pitches on Tuesday. Michael Conforto hasn’t started since Sunday with back soreness and Yoenis Cespedes seems resigned to a part-time starting role as he recovers from his own hamstring ailment. Also, Matt Harvey felt “tired and fatigued” after struggling against the Cubs. It never ends.

As for the Nationals, Koda Glover — one of the various maligned Nationals relievers — is on the DL with lower back stiffness while Jayson Werth remains out because of a foot injury. Washington is also without outfielders Adam Eaton and Chris Heisey, both of whom will be on the shelf for the foreseeable future.

Notable Quotables

An anonymous Nationals position player on the bullpen’s struggles, from Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post: “We feel like we have to win the game three times.”

Per Newsday’s David Lennon, Terry Collins on the constant highs and lows with the Mets: “One thing I know: [Stuff] happens.” You can guess why he chose to use the bracketed word.

Photo credit: Brett Davis – USA Today Sports

A few of the Mets’ scuffling power bats — namely Curtis Granderson and Lucas Duda — had big series, and Travis d’Arnaud hit his first home run in nearly a month. The most impressive development, though, was the performance of Harvey on Sunday night. He only made it six innings, but held the Pirates to just one run and showed flashes of the dominant ace from 2015 and earlier. The curveball was sharp, the fastball velocity was constant, and the slider even generated some swings-and-misses.

The bad news is that the Mets have a quick turnaround as they’ll host the Brewers at Citi Field in a few hours for a Memorial Day matinee. Milwaukee, meanwhile, has rebounded from a four-game skid with back-to-back wins over the Diamondbacks that got the offense going. The Brewers scalded Mets’ pitching when these teams met two weeks ago at Miller Park.

When and Where

Game 1: Monday at 4:10 p.m. EST (TV: SNY; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Game 2: Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. EST (TV: SNY; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Game 3: Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. EST (TV: SNY; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Game 4: Thursday at 1:10 p.m. EST (TV: SNY; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Baseball Weather

Monday: Cloudy at first pitch with a high of 61F and 11 MPH winds but 90% chance of rain in the morning/early afternoon

Tuesday: Overcast with a high of 65F and 10 MPH winds (50% chance of rain)

Wednesday: Mostly sunny with a high of 78F and 9 MPH (10% chance of rain)

Thursday: Partly cloudy with a high of 75F and 8 MPH (10% chance of rain)

Probable Pitching Matchups

Monday: RHP Robert Gsellman (2-3, 6.45 ERA, 6.92 DRA, .357 TAv, -0.8 WARP) vs. RHP Matt Garza (2-1,  3.60 ERA, 4.45 DRA, .226 TAv, 0.4 WARP)

Tuesday: TBD vs. RHP Zach Davies (5-3, 5.33 ERA, 7.05 DRA, .338 TAv, -1.0 WARP)

Wednesday: RHP Jacob deGrom (4-1, 3.23 ERA, 2.02 DRA, .256 TAv, 2.4 WARP) vs. RHP Junior Guerra (0-0, 3.12 ERA, 3.16 DRA, .289 TAv, 0.2 WARP)

Thursday: RHP Zack Wheeler (3-2, 3.83 ERA, 4.12 DRA, .240 TAv, 0.7 WARP) vs. RHP Chase Anderson (3-1, 3.72 ERA, 5.32 DRA, .270 TAv, 0.0 WARP)

Who’s Hot?

Lucas Duda: He’s been good all season when on the field, but the power seems to be coming back. Duda had four multi-hit games this past week and has homered in three of his last four starts. That OPS is creeping up toward 1.000.

Travis Shaw: The first baseman has at least one hit in 15 of his last 16 games, and is batting .321 in May.

Jacob deGrom: In his last two starts (15.1 innings), deGrom has allowed just one run and allowed 14 baserunners (10 hits and four walks) with 19 strikeouts. The Mets won both.

Who’s Not?

Eric Thames: After hitting 11 home runs in April with a slash-line of .345/.466/1.276, Thames is under the Mendoza line in May and only has two hits (neither home runs) since the series against the Mets two weeks ago.

Rene Rivera: Remember when Rivera was seemingly getting hits with runners in scoring position every day? Yeah, that has kind of cooled down, as the Mets’ backup catcher is just 2 for his last 17 at the plate. It’s a good thing d’Arnaud is playing better.

The Mets’ bullpen: No explanation necessary.

When We Last Met

The Brewers took all three games from the Mets on Mothers’ Day weekend, including the final one of the series when New York blew a 7-1 lead by giving up 10 runs in the game’s final three innings.

It’s Literally a 10-Day DL

Ryan Braun was put on the disabled list on Thursday with a left calf strain that will keep him out of this week’s series. Catcher Manny Pina didn’t play on Friday or Saturday after he was hit by a pitch Thursday, but returned to the lineup Sunday and had three hits. Eric Thames was out of the lineup Sunday with left leg soreness.

As for the Mets, no one else (thankfully) got hurt over the weekend but Yoenis Cespedes suffered a setback with his injured right quad and won’t return to a minor league rehab game until Tuesday at the earliest. In some better news, Seth Lugo and Steven Matz had successful rehab starts with Binghamton and Las Vegas, respectively, on Sunday and appear to be on track to return to New York soon.

Notable Quotables

Terry Collins, after Saturday’s bullpen meltdown (on TC’s 68th birthday no less!): “I’m out of explanations.” More Terry: “No matter what we do, it’s not working. (Source: Marc Carig of Newsday)

Jimmy Nelson, who had 10 strikeouts in seven innings in the Brewers’ win on Sunday: “The energy’s really good and honestly, as long as we keep this energy and attitude, we can surprise a lot of people.” (Source: MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy)

Photo credit: Jake Roth – USA Today Sports

On Sunday, however, the Mets were thrown back into reality with a thud.

They lost 23-5 in the series finale as Anthony Rendon smacked a trio of home runs and became the 13th player in MLB history to notch 10 RBIs in a single game, but the real story is Noah Syndergaard. The Mets’ ace held his side after throwing a second inning changeup to Bryce Harper, causing Ray Ramirez and Terry Collins to rush the mound and end Syndergaard’s day. It was a possible lat strain, per the team.

Thor gave up five runs in an ugly first inning, issuing his first walk of the season, just three days after he was scratched from a scheduled start against the Braves with biceps soreness. He will undergo a MRI back in New York, and it might be awhile before the beloved fireballer is back on the bump.

Sean Gilmartin entered for Syndergaard and threw gas on the Mets’ 5-2 deficit, giving up five runs in three innings of work. Fernando Salas and Josh Smoker made it even worse, and it got so bad Kevin Plawecki was forced to pitch the seventh and eighth. He allowed three home runs.

A rough weekend for Thor

Who knows how severe Syndergaard’s latest injury is, but it’s extremely troubling nonetheless. For a hard-thrower like him, with a history of arm injuries, to leave a game in the second inning just days after missing a start raises obvious red flags and throws an already tumultuous Mets season on the verge of pure disaster.

As Gary Cohen and Ron Darling noted on the SNY broadcast, while a lat strain may not be directly related to Thor’s previous injury, it could signify other arm problems. We won’t know for sure until the test results are released, however.

It has been a crazy couple of days for Syndergaard, from not pitching on Thursday to his alleged berating of Mets’ PR man Jay Horwitz for allowing reporters to approach him about his status. He likely would have gotten a reprieve from that incident had he pitched well on Sunday; instead, leaving with yet another injury will — rightfully — cause many to question both how he and the team handled the situation. Remember that he refused to undergo an MRI on Thursday, with Sandy Alderson lamenting how the Mets can’t “strap [Syndergaard] down and throw him in the tube.”

How the rotation can forge ahead

The Mets didn’t sign a single player — either pitcher or hitter — from another organization to a major league contract this offseason, and that conservative (some may say cheap) decision is resulting in a nightmare for the pitching staff. With Seth Lugo and Steven Matz still sidelined due to their own injuries and Robert Gsellman struggling so far, the Amazins just don’t have many options to fill Syndergaard’s spot in the rotation.

Gilmartin may be forced into service, but his performance on Sunday was far from promising. He’s a mop-up guy at best. It always pains the Mets to do this — heaven forbid the Wilpons shill out some extra money to pay a temporary replacement — but they might have to bite the bullet and look elsewhere for starting pitching help if Syndergaard is out for the long term, because Gilmartin, Rafael Montero or (gasp) Adam Wilk just aren’t going to cut it.

Some offensive life

It feels trivial to even talk about the offense on such a day, but after two weeks of lifeless offensive performances, New York seems to be perking up a bit. Michael Conforto ripped an RBI single off a two-strike pitch from Joe Ross after a pair of ugly at-bats while Jose Reyes’ first inning triple down the first base line led to an early run. Both guys, batting in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the lineup Sunday, had a strong series at the plate. Rene Rivera added his first home run of the season.

Jay Bruce, the Mets’ best batter all season, continued to drive the ball well with a third inning solo homer to center field and a deep double in the seventh. The same can’t be said for Curtis Granderson or Neil Walker, who went a combined 0-7 and saw their averages dip further below the Mendoza Line.

What’s to come

Although it may be hard to believe, the Mets took two of three from the Nationals this weekend and actually cut into their 7.5-game deficit in the NL East. This week, they’ll head to Atlanta — and new SunTrust Park — for the first time this season for  a four-game set with the resurgent Braves as the Mets look to regain some stability and edge back toward .500.

Photo credit: Geoff Burke – USA Today Sports