TOUGH GLOVE: Marlon Byrd tries to snag Brandon Phillips’ two-run single in the first inning of the Mets’ 4-3 loss last night to the Reds. (Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post)
The question used to be: Can the Mets play meaningful games in September? Now the question is: Can they play any meaningful games in May?
This season could be over before it really starts by the end of this month.
So what does that mean for Mets fans? Can this season be more than just waiting for Matt Harvey to pitch?
Harvey pitches tomorrow, by the way, and last night the Mets put up the first Harvey Highlight Film on the Big Screen at Citi Field in the bottom of the second against the Reds. The Mets already trailed, 3-0, in a game they lost, 4-3, to drop to 17-25.
That is where the Mets are on May 21.
They play two more games against the Reds, followed by three against the Braves and then the Subway Series, two games at Citi Field followed by two at Yankee Stadium.
Expect Harvey also to pitch on May 28, the final home game of the series.
At least the great Jordany Valdespin controversy seems to have passed. I talked to several Mets last night and they said Valdespin has turned the corner as far as they are concerned.
“The kid is going to be all right,’’ one veteran Met told me. “He’s starting to get it. He’s learning.’’
Valdespin told me things are going well with his teammates.
“No problems,’’ he said. “Everything is good.’’
He pinch-hit in the eighth and grounded out with a runner on first.
Ike Davis, meanwhile, is slipping deeper and deeper into his funk. Getting him out of it may be impossible the way the Mets have been going about it so far this season.
Davis was called for obstruction in the Reds’ three-run first inning on a Joey Votto single and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. He is 1-for-his-last-33 and his average dropped to .152. Last week, I suggested Davis be sent to Triple-A Las Vegas to fix his hitting woes before it all gets too ugly. Well, it’s ugly now.
Sending Davis down could happen, because last year when he struggled, Davis never lost his confidence. His confidence now clearly has been shaken. The one ball he hit last night was right at Brandon Phillips at second base.
“The game is built on momentum and confidence,’’ Davis said after his difficult night. “I really haven’t had a lot of things go right for me to really take off.’’
The Mets can’t hit at Citi Field. Last night was the eighth straight game in which they have managed only three runs or fewer here. They have scored three or fewer runs in 11 of their last 14 games overall. Manager Terry Collins, who had a pleasant chat with owner Fred Wilpon before the game at the batting cage, once again juggled his lineup against Reds starter Johnny Cueto.
It wasn’t pleasant by the end of the night. Collins was ejected, along with reliever LaTroy Hawkins, in the seventh inning by home plate umpire Tom Hallion.
At least the Mets were getting a look at their possible leadoff hitter of the future in the Reds’ Shin-Soo Choo, who is a free agent after the season. He is an on-base percentage machine, just the type of player general manager Sandy Alderson and company prefer.
Lucas Duda was moved to fourth as Davis dropped to sixth. Duda hasn’t hit a home run since May 12 and is batting a pitiful .120 (3-for-25) with runners in scoring position.
Essentially, this season is about letting Harvey continue to dominate, getting Zack Wheeler to the majors, along with injury-plagued young catcher Travis d’Arnaud and trying to fill in a couple spots on offense to help David Wright.
Marlon Byrd blasted a three-run home run in the third, but the Reds regained the lead in the sixth on Jay Bruce’s solo rocket against loser Shaun Marcum, who dropped to 0-5.
Collins said he doesn’t like to keep running out a new lineup every game, but that’s what’s happening because of this lack of offense.
“We’ve got to play pretty perfect baseball right now,’’ Collins said.
That’s not happening.