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

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

On an evening so chilly that SNY activated the Frostbite Filter…

…Ryan Howard’s solo homer in the fifth inning represented all the runs. Phillies 1, Mets 0.

Discussion and Analysis

Bartolo was terrific, scattering five hits and no walks over six innings, striking out seven and

Say hey! Bartolo does his best Willie Mays impersonation with this over the shoulder catch: https://t.co/WO62FdaM77https://t.co/niS3uPNtVh

— New York Mets (@Mets) April 10, 2016

The only blemish on Colon’s evening was a classic Ryan Howard opposite-field solo shot. Howard is the active leader in home runs against the Mets with nine. (Chipper Jones hit only seven.)

Vincent Velasquez bettered Bartolo. Making his first Phillies start since coming over in the Ken Giles trade, the former Astro struck out nine and allowed only three hits over six shutout innings.  The Mets even made the Phillies bullpen look competent. Over the last three innings, a who’s who of whos — Hector Neris, Daniel Stumpf, David Hernandez and Jeanmar Gomez — allowed no hits, one walk and struck out three.

Hansel Robles and Antonio Bastardo pitched clean innings in relief of Colon. Jeurys Familia, making a get-work appearance in the ninth, was not as shaky as his 1 3 0 0 0 1 line suggests. Two of the three hits Familia allowed were infield tappers, while the other was a soft liner over shortstop. That said, Cesar Hernandez, the Phillies second baseman who would have a zero “awareness” rating if he were a Madden NFL character, probably should have scored on Maikel Franco’s slow roller to third.

On the positive side of the ledger, Wilmer Flores made his first start of the season, giving David Wright the 40-degree night off. Flores walked twice and struck out in three plate appearances. He also made a solid play at third, cutting off a slow roller in the 5.5 hole and firing an accurate throw to first base. Until the Rangers promote Jurickson Profar, Flores may be the best infield reserve in baseball.

Contemporaneous Thoughts

Always amazed how Bartolo's fastball causes uncomfortable swings and weak contact. #Mets

— Scott D. Simon (@scottdsimon) April 9, 2016

GKR-isms

“Borderline… Every umpire should say like Frank Pulli would say: ‘Boys, it’s cold. I don’t get paid for overtime. Swing the bats.” – Keith

“All you tweetsters out there…don’t listen to Wikipedia. They’re wrong half the time.” – Keith

Coda

Four games into the season, it’s too soon to express concern that the team’s not hitting. If the bats are still quiet when the balaclavas have been stored for the winter, then we can talk. #HarveyDay tomorrow against Jeremy Hellickson, as the Mets seek to go back over .500.

Photo credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA Today Sports

The Mets raised their National League Pennant before opening the season at home with a 7-2 win over the Phillies. Jacob deGrom pitched six strong innings while Michael Conforto had three hits and three RBIs. Jim Henderson looked excellent in relief once again as did Antonio Bastardo making his Mets debut.  

Noah Syndergaard unleashed his shiny new hammer of a slider and the Mets won 2-0.

A 95 MPH…Slider?

The Royals didn’t get multiple runners on base until the sixth inning. With the crowd revved up, Syndergaard threw four straight balls for his only walk of the afternoon. It felt like we were about to watch another one of those moments where the Mets let a lead slip away to Kansas City. Dan Warthen came out to remind Syndergaard that he had been able to overpower the Royals with runners on base, striking out the first five hitters he faced in these high leverage situations. He just needed one more out. Syndergaard fired three straight sliders past Kendrys Morales: 93, 95 and 93 miles per hour.

If you read my colleague Jarrett Seidler’s preview of Syndergaard’s pitches, you wouldn’t be surprised to see Syndergaard using the slider as a primary offspeed pitch. We know the Warthen slider is tighter and has more velocity than most sliders. But I’m not sure any of us have seen a radar gun flash 95 for a slider with the bases loaded! It made Syndergaard’s 98.2 MPH fastball and 99.5 MPH sinker (per Brooks Baseball) feel like secondary pitches today.  Afternoons like this make Thor look like one of the frontrunners for the Cy Young Award. I never want to make too much out of one game, but seeing another Noah with great stuff is really cool.

Some Redemption?

The Royals dropped several hints about retaliating for Syndergaard’s pitch in Game 3 of the World Series during the offseason, but there were no brushbacks or dirty play today. The Mets didn’t even have to stand on field and watch Kansas City’s second day of ceremonies. For the most part, today’s game felt like game 2 of a 162 game season instead of Sunday’s continuation of a painful World Series where seemingly everything that could go wrong did go wrong.

All the World Series déjà vu came back in the ninth, with Lorenzo Cain leading off. Jeurys Familia, who blew three saves last October, hadn’t looked good during spring training. If he struggled today, you never know when Mets fans would hit the panic button. (No, wait, some Mets fans were panicking over David Wright after one game. I’ll get back to him.) Fortunately, Familia struck Cain out, then got two ground balls to have a relatively drama free 9th. The bullpen combined for three innings without allowing a baserunner.

A Bizarro Pitching Duel:

It feels odd to characterize this game as a pitching duel. Noah Syndergaard threw nasty stuff for most of the game. The Royals, on the other hand, turned to former Met Chris Young, who PECOTA projects to have a -0.1 WARP this season. Young’s fastball hovered at 88 MPH for most of the game and he walked three guys over five innings of three-hit ball. In a smaller ballpark like Yankee Stadium, Chris Young would get shelled and be out of the game. But in Kansas City, Young was able to play to the big outfield and speedy outfielders for three innings. Yoenis Cespedes opened the fourth inning with a walk and Neil Walker pulled a mistake for a home run to right for the only scoring play of the game. Both teams struggled seeing the ball through late afternoon shadows in the later innings and went 0-7 with runners in scoring position. Maybe 3:15 p.m. local is a bad time to start a baseball game?

Step Away From The Panic Button:

After David Wright’s weak throw on Sunday night, some of the more nervous Mets fans wondered if Wright would ever be spry again. Like most things in baseball, RELAX! It’s just one game. When Wright was healthy and stealing 20 bases a year, his first inning walk would have been a prime opportunity to run. But Gary, Keith and Ron thought Wright’s days of stealing bases were behind him. Naturally, Wright stole second on the next pitch, as well as another steal in the fifth. It wasn’t a completely positive game for the third baseman though: Wright double-clutched on a potential double play ball in the sixth that helped the Royals maintain their only scoring threat.

Welcome Back Jim Henderson:

After being out of the big leagues in 2015 and most of 2014, Jim Henderson pitched a scoreless 7th inning, racking up got six whiffs on 13 pitches. If Henderson stays hot, I’d expect him to keep getting higher leverage assignments as opposed to being a mop up guy at the end of the bullpen.

What’s Next:

Two days off, then the home opener Friday night. Hopefully with warmer conditions! No word yet on whether Jacob DeGrom will start or be away as his wife gives birth.

Photo credit: Denny Medley-USA Today Sports