PHOENIX — The bill is due, and no one knows that better than Jason Bay.
The Jason Bay Boondoggle cannot go on much longer. He has been given every opportunity to climb out of the hole he has dug for himself at the plate. Bay has not been able to get out of his own way because of injuries and incredible bouts of ineffectiveness, but if he does not show some sign of life in his dead bat over the next week he could finally find himself stuck on the bench.
With the return of Mike Baxter, Bay has to get his swing going in San Francisco and San Diego.
“He’s got to get some production this week,’’ one Mets official told The Post. The Mets had lost 14 of 16 games, offering up an epic July collapse of September proportions, before coming away with a 5-1 victory yesterday over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
“I get it, I’m a realist, stuff happens,’’ Bay told The Post after his hitless streak reached 22 at-bats with an 0-for-3 against lefty Joe Saunders. Meanwhile, two other right-handed hitters, David Wright and Scott Hairston, unloaded on Saunders.
Bay is hitting .159 with five home runs and eight RBIs over 113 at-bats.
He is frustrated beyond belief and will not stop working to try to fix his problems, but he may already be over the edge here, physically and mentally.
“I’m going to keep working my butt off,’’ Bay promised. “This is the same thing I’ve been fighting the last three years. It’s frustrating. That’s all I can tell you.’’
Bay was loudly booed by the Mets’ fans in attendance. Bay, who has been saddled by injuries, has hit the point of no return with the fans. His monster, four-year, $66 million contract has one year remaining, but the Mets can no longer just run him out to left field on a nightly basis with his terrible production.
“The frustrating part, and where you beat yourself up, is because you know you are better, it’s tough to deal with,’’ Bay said. Since coming back from a concussion he is batting .105 (4-for-38). He probably could have used more bats in the minor leagues as he came back from this injury, but tried to return to the majors as quickly as possible. In three years as a Met he is batting .240 with 23 home runs and 112 RBIs.
Bay is at that stage where he is not doing nearly enough and as a result is trying to do too much.
“You fight yourself, you try to get a lot back quicker than I can,’’ he admitted. “That’s human nature. There’s also the fine line of doing that of [trying to stay calm] and the perception of not caring. I’ve tried my hardest to be the same guy in here every day regardless. I have not laid low. I still owe it to these guys to bust my butt and try to be a good teammate and that helps you sleep at night.’’
With the left-handed hitting Baxter around now, the leash is much shorter for Bay. Manager Terry Collins said he has to see how well Baxter is swinging following his return from a separated collar bone and rib injuries. The Giants will start lefty Madison Bumgarner tonight, so Bay will be in left.
When Collins was asked how much Baxter will play, he answered, “That’s the $64,000 question. We’ve brought Josh Thole up. He got off to a rough start. We bring Jason Bay back. He gets off to a rough start. How many times do you jump on the same merry-go-round? You slot him in some spots where he might have some success. Is he going to be an everyday guy? Probably not.”
This is really the $66 million question, because the question isn’t really about Mike Baxter, it’s about Jason Bay. How much longer does Bay play? How much longer do the Mets run Bay out there?
The way it’s going, not much longer.