Kevin Kernan

Kevin Kernan

MLB

Mets’ bright future won’t save Alderson anymore

The Mets’ long day started with the announcement that Noah Syndergaard was on his way here from Triple-A Las Vegas to get his strained right elbow checked out by doctors on Tuesday.

It ended with the firing of hitting coach Dave Hudgens and the release of reliever Jose Valverde after the Memorial Day meltdown, a terrible 5-3 loss to the Pirates at Citi Field.

Faster than you can say “Tommy John’’ and “Matt Harvey,’’ the franchise’s future ace is in jeopardy. Yet again.

So is Terry Collins. Consider this a warning shot and he knows it.

“When you’re evaluated, you know where it starts,” Collins said. “In the mirror. … [Bleep] happens and you deal with it, and if you can’t, you don’t belong in the game.’’

The real pressure, though, is on Sandy Alderson. The general manager has to look in the mirror and question his performance for his part in the Mets’ terrible 7-17 May and overall 22-28 record.

Owners don’t fire themselves and that is especially true of the Wilpons — so progress must be shown, and quickly.

Alderson’s promise of young arms must save games and jobs.

This is the Endless Summer of Elbow Injuries and bullpen implosions by yet another one of Alderson’s rebuilt bullpens. All that must change.

On Monday, Valverde cost young Jacob deGrom his first major league victory. DeGrom pitched 6 ²/₃ shutout innings, got two hits in two at-bats and did all he could do to win — except the rookie could not keep Collins from picking up the phone to the bullpen where Valverde, playing this year’s version of Frank Francisco, allowed the Pirates to score five runs the last two innings.

The hard-working Hudgens was Alderson’s hand-picked hitting coach and a disciple of Alderson’s bases-per-out philosophy. He’s out.

“Our hitting approach will not change appreciably,’’ Alderson said.

The new hitting coach will be Lamar Johnson. The situational hitting must get better.

As for Syndergaard, Alderson said: “At this point we don’t have a high level of concern, but anytime the forearm is involved, we like to have it looked at.’’

Collins noted, though: “We’re very concerned about it. Anytime you are going in and the word elbow shows up, especially when you throw as hard as he does, it’s a concern.’’

The lesson here, Mets fans, no matter how Syndergaard’s “mild flexor-pronator strain’’ checks out Tuesday, is that the Mets must start living for today. The grand future plans need to give way to today and the organization had better start taking a “Let’s get better now’’ attitude and make progress.

It’s time to bring in younger arms to the bullpen and not the retreads Sandy has gathered through the years. It’s four years into his plan — it’s time his plan shows some positive results. He knows that. Vic Black was called back from Vegas again.

Alderson needs to save himself, and that starts by saving his team from going down the toilet yet again.

“Our bullpen will get better when our young pitchers emerge at the major league level,’’ Alderson said. “We’re working in that direction now.’’

It’s time to get those young arms in place, now that Jenrry Mejia is the closer. No more selling a bright future. It’s time for results now.

The Mets have themselves a gutsy young pitcher in deGrom and he can swing a bat. And he has already had his Tommy John surgery in 2010, so his future is bright.

“I already got that out of the way,’’ deGrom said.

He’s doing better than anticipated and Rafael Montero is coming off a 10-strikeout game. Show a little faith in the young arms.

Baseball is a game of no guarantees, so take what today gives and make the most of it.

With young pitchers especially, there are no guarantees. Look at Harvey.

David Wright is not getting any younger. The pitchers are not getting any healthier and those pitch-count strategies are not working the way clubs envisioned when they put down the pitch-count law.

Time to look into that mirror.