The good news for the Mets?
It's impossible to imagine things getting worse than they were over the weekend in Pittsburgh, when New York was swept in shocking fashion while being outscored 30-4 by a bad Pirates team that entered the series having scored the second-fewest runs in the majors.
Here's some more good news:
Despite a 3-13 tailspin that has turned a season of dominance into one that's currently off the rails, the Mets are still in a really good spot.
They are right there in the NL East, just 1.5 games behind the Phillies.
And they are holding the top Wild Card spot in the National League.
That's where the good news ends.
At present, the Mets are a team whose starting rotation -- down four key members and still waiting on returns from Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga -- is on fumes. And the rotation failing to provide length is putting tons of stress on an overworked bullpen.
In two of the games against the Pirates, things were basically over after the early innings, with David Peterson and Frankie Montas getting hit so hard that Friday and Sunday's tilts quickly became non-competitive.
The Mets were in it until the end on Saturday, when the bullpen stumbled late and turned a tight game into a blowout.
The offense has been maddeningly inconsistent during this stretch, and seemed to be turning things around a bit after taking the final two games against the Braves during a four-game series last week at Citi Field. But the bats slumbered again in Pittsburgh, with a returning Mark Vientos still quite rusty.
So, what do the Mets need to do to turn around season that still has so much promise?
The first thing is to stop being almost robotically measured when it comes to the starting pitchers who are getting chances as the Mets await to returns of Manaea and Senga.
That starts with Paul Blackburn, who allowed three runs on six hits in 1.0 inning against the Pirates on Saturday. In his start before that, Blackburn surrendered three runs on six hits in 4.2 innings against the Braves. In the start that preceded that one, he lasted just 3.2 innings while giving up four runs (three earned) against Atlanta.
Blackburn is not offering length or effectiveness, with a 7.71 ERA and 1.98 WHIP in six games (four starts) this season.
Still, he's lined up to face the Yankees on Friday at Citi Field in the Subway Series opener. That Yankees team has scored 422 runs, good for second in the American League behind the Tigers (424).
There aren't any perfect options to replace Blackburn in the rotation. But there are two intriguing ones who just happen to be tremendous prospects with immense upside.
Nolan McLean, who last pitched on June 27, could be called up for Friday's game and not have to alter his schedule much. He has been terrific this season for Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse, with a 2.25 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 76.0 innings (12 starts, two relief appearances).
Then there's Brandon Sproat, whose season in Syracuse has been up and down but who has been much better lately.
Sproat, intentionally pitching much more to contact this year instead of trying to blow everyone away, fired 6.0 scoreless innings on June 28 while allowing two hits, walking three, and striking out six. He has allowed two runs or fewer in six of his last seven starts.
The Mets should choose one of them to come up on Friday and start in place of Blackburn -- big stage be damned. A 40-man roster move would be needed, but New York has about a half dozen fungible spots that could be tweaked to make room.
Apropos of nothing, Jonah Tongshould also be in Triple-A. He's been toying with hitters in Double-A, to the tune of a 1.73 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 115 strikeouts in 73.0 innings.
Another thing the Mets should do is start using Jeff McNeilin center field every day.
They've had him out there much more often lately, but Tyrone Taylor got the start there on Saturday and went 0-for-4. Taylor's OPS for the season is down to .606. And while he provides incredible defense, the Mets need all the punch they can get in the lineup right now.
That should mean McNeil in center and Ronny Mauricio or Brett Baty at second base.
The bigger moves, which will be executed by David Stearns and Co. ahead of the trade deadline, will almost certainly have to wait. The market has been moving slower than usual over the last few seasons with more teams in contention than ever due to the added Wild Card spots.
As the July 31 trade deadline gets closer, the Mets should be in the market for help in the rotation and bullpen, a center fielder, and perhaps a third baseman.
Between now and then, it's fair to expect things to normalize a bit once the offense awakens and Manaea and Senga return. Jesse Winker should also beback relatively soon.
But as the Mets wait for all of the above, they need to act with a bit more urgency.
