Miracle May?... what the Mets must do right now to ensure 2019 is a meaningful season

As a two out crack off the bat of Jose Iglesias traveled through a dreary fog and curled around the left field foul pole, making it the second night in a row a Cincinnati Reds batter rounded the bases on Edwin Diaz and the Mets, a thought crossed every Metropolitan fan's mind: Deja vu. Not because the moment was a mirror image of the night before when Jesse Winker went long, but because we have all experienced this story year after year...

For those who don't know, the Mets are famous for starting seasons hot and following that by falling out of the playoff race before July. It has happened countless times in recent memory, and I'm a younger fan of the team, history has battered the veteran supporters like my father who has been watching since the 60's. At least he's seen championships though. That's the silver lining, and there was a silver lining last night as well, despite the fact that the Mets fell to 15-15, 2 games back of the Phillies and tied with the Braves for 2nd in the East, Jacob DeGrom was back. After an injury scare and a few shaky starts, it was key that Jake get back on track last night, and he did with 7 strong shutout innings. However, 1-0 losses in games where DeGrom handed the ball over to the bullpen tied with zeros is another recurring nightmare for us faithfuls. So what can the Mets do to ensure that this deja vu is a mere fleeting moment, and not another wasted season?

1. Reinstate the backbone of the ball club. The Mets starting rotation has been this team's strength ever since DeGrom, Harvey, Syndergaard and Matz joined the major league club. Only Wheeler has since replaced Harvey, who was more concerned about becoming his alter ego Bruce Wayne, and now Syndergaard seems to have caught the same affliction. Maybe he'd pitch better without the Asgardian man-bun? And can the Mets please stop doing a different Noah-themed bobble head every month when the guy has a 6.35 ERA so far in 2019. I've seen improvements from Matz and Wheeler, but none from "Thor" who thinks he can throw fastballs by every hitter he faces (Harvey-esk). I won't even mention Vargas, who has the look of someone you might find saucing pizzas (which would fit with all the meatballs he serves up on every 5th start). Either way, the Mets pitching staff has had a 5.07 team ERA this year. The overused bullpen hasn't been stellar either, and with the extra innings causing fatigue and injuries to our opening day ranks, it could be a downhill road ahead. Our top four starters have to take responsibility. If they don't reclaim the leadership role on this team and eat some innings in the process, I see no way the Mets succeed.

2. SIGN DALLAS KEUCHEL. I understand you lose a draft pick if you sign him before June, but I don't think we can afford to wait that long. Sacrifice the pick and give this man a deal. We need a consistent innings eater and Keuchel has been nothing if not that throughout his career, plus he'd be the veteran presence on the staff that Vargas can only dream of.

3. Trust in the youth Mickey. The Mets offense has been solid this season, 10th in team average and 17th in slugging, but if not for Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil this might be a very different story. Imagine Alonso started the year in the minors? I see no reason McNeil and Alonso shouldn't be 1-2 in the lineup every day for the foreseeable future. Conforto and Rosario have gotten off to decent starts as well, and Nimmo has begun to show improvement (despite taking far too many close 3-2 pitches, I mean I like a good eye on a batter but for the love of God protect the plate and stop watching strike three calls pass you by!!). We should limit the amount of days Frazier is in the lineup, using McNeil and JD Davis at third, which would possibly free up more appearances for Dom Smith in left field. The defense won't be ideal in this scenario, but Smith's bat should get more opportunities (and him playing shouldn't mean Alonso sitting).

4. Replace Vargas. If he can't go more than 5 innings, I'd rather try out Oswalt or Lugo as the 5th man. I'm aware Oswalt has had a rough year and Lugo starting weakens the bullpen but both have been used out of their element as relievers and mostly wasted in games when they do pitch. If Lugo needs rest in between relief appearances anyway, he might as well start, right?

5. Do not use Edwin Diaz in tie game situations. Let's use this Reds series and his career stats as prime examples, Diaz is incredible when he has a lead, he is terrible when he doesn't. I'll leave it at that.

6. Get to some ball games fans! We should be doing our part too. The attendance at Citi Field is a joke and the place is a graveyard of empty chairs in the Spring. I went the other night and saw this first hand. Our home record is usually poor, and I understand the atmosphere reflects the play we've seen, but ticket prices aren't too bad especially if you take the train or car pool to avoid parking. This is the role we play, fans should be there cheering through bad times if they want to see good ones in the future.

photo credit: USA Today (left), Caledonian Record (right)