MLB

Mets now 5-0 since Bay’s return

WASHINGTON — Dave Hudgens recalls March 29 all too well.

“We were playing the Nationals in spring training and I remember Jason [Bay] coming up to me and saying he felt a little something in his rib cage,” the Mets hitting coach recalled yesterday.

“I knew how tough those injuries are, and we were really starting to see what he meant to our lineup.”

The “little something” turned into an injury that kept Bay sidelined for nearly a month. But now that he’s returned, Bay hasn’t taken long to prove how vital he is to the Mets’ offense.

“I felt bad for him when it happened,” Hudgens said. “But I felt bad for us, as a team, as well, because I knew how much it would affect us having him out.”

After last night’s 6-4 win over the Nats at Nationals Park, the Mets are 5-0 since Bay’s return.

BOX SCORE

And while there are plenty of reasons for the turn-around, none is bigger than the 33 runs the Mets have scored in Bay’s five games.

Bay, with a pair of singles and two runs scored last night, is 7-for-19 (.368) with a homer and three RBIs since his return — but the Mets’ surge of success after their MLB-worst 5-13 start goes beyond his personal numbers.

As Ike Davis sees it, the difference is in the approach pitchers use to the whole Mets lineup now that they have to deal with Bay.

“He makes all of our jobs easier,” Davis said.

“I’m behind him in the lineup, so I don’t know if I get better pitches to hit, but the more people like Jason Bay and the other huge-name guys in our lineup we have, the mentally tougher it is on the pitcher.

“They’re not easy outs, and the more a pitcher has to bear down, the more tired he gets and the more mistakes he makes.”

And unlike earlier in the season, the Mets actually are taking advantage of those mistakes.

“I’d like to take all the credit, but it’s obviously more complicated than me coming back and everyone all of a sudden hitting,” said Bay,

“We’ve got a lot of good hitters, and it was only a matter of time before a few of them started clicking.”

Bay’s impact hasn’t just been felt at the plate, but in left field, where he has played much better than any of his substitutes did.

“He’s a professional in everything he does,” Hudgens said. “It goes beyond what he does offensively. You watch his work ethic and how seriously he takes everything, from batting practice to his work in the field, it gives everyone else more confidence.”

Hudgens is most interested in things like the opposite-field homer Bay hit on Saturday at Citi Field.

“To see him pick up right where he left off in spring training after all he’s been through from [last year’s] concussion, to this injury, was a relief,” Hudgens said.

dan.martin@nypost.com