3 UP

1. Real Deal

In the doubleheader against the Yankees, Jeff McNeil went 4-for-10 with three runs, a homer, and three RBI.

Since coming off the IL, he’s hitting .367 while playing well at second and in left. Between his bat and his glove, he’s been the Mets’ most valuable player. In fact, he’s one of the more indispensable players in all of baseball right now.

2. Another Strong Vargas Start

Somehow, some way Jason Vargas escaped that third inning on Tuesday night against the Yankees only allowing three runs. He also dodged trouble in the fourth. When all was said and done, Vargas had a quality start and a win.

After being mostly terrible in his Mets career, Vargas has three consecutive quality starts. The peripherals aren’t great, but he’s gotten the job done to the tune of a 1.64 ERA over this stretch.

3. Calvary Is Coming

Yesterday, Syracuse won 15-8. In that game, Brandon Nimmo led off and drew two walks. Robinson Cano was 3-for-3 with a run, double, and an RBI. Justin Wilson pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.

Right there are three players this Mets team needs and needs right now. Their playing in rehab games is a good sign. That even goes for Cano who at least seemed to be pushing himself more on the basepaths towards the end of that game. Ultimately, once the Mets get this trio back, they are a much-improved team. Seeing from their results on Tuesday, the day they all return is fast approaching.

3 DOWN

1. Big Wheels Need To Get Turning

In the first game of the doubleheader, the Mets offense was terrible. Amed Rosario missed second base. Todd Frazier threw one away. J.D. Davis was nowhere near any ball hit to left field because he is playing so deep to make up for his complete lack of range.

Still, even with the poor defense, Zack Wheeler should have been better yesterday. He was keeping the ball in the zone, and he was getting hit hard. Even after the Frazier error, he had an opportunity to get out of that inning. Instead, he gave up a homer to Luke Voit. It was the second Yankees homer of the inning.

In total, only five of the nine runs against Wheeler were earned. Still, that’s five earned over 4.2 innings in the first leg of a doubleheader. The Mets needed Wheeler to pick up the defense and eat up innings. Unfortunately, he wasn’t up to the task.

The good news with Wheeler is he was in a very similar circumstance last year, and he was great in the second half. Looking at him, we see it’s all there. He just needs to put it back together. We know he can.

2. More Bull Then Pen

Right now, the Mets bullpen is riddled with guys who just don’t belong in a Major League bullpen, and we saw it play out yesterday.

Wilmer Font allowed a run IMPROVING his ERA to 5.19. Tim Peterson allowed two earned runs. Drew Gagnon allowed one run. All that was missing was Hector Santiago mimicking the performance of this trio.

Looking at these players, you could argue one or maybe two of them deserve a spot in the bullpen. After all, you do need someone who can go out there and just absorb body blows and protect the rest of the bullpen. However, this group doesn’t do that as effectively. Even if they did, you cannot have four of these pitchers in the same bullpen. It just doesn’t work.

Sure, when Justin Wilson comes back, one of these guys will head down. If the Mets return to a normal sized bench, that’s another reliever. Still, too much of this bullpen is comprised of guys who should not be pitching at the Major League level, at least not in a semi-permanent spot for a team who fancies itself a contender.

3. Subway Series Exists

Fans may love it and pack the park, but the Subway Series isn’t good for the Mets. Since it’s inception, the Mets are 50-70 against the Yankees. More than that, those are four difficult games they have that their NL East competition doesn’t.

That puts the Mets at a disadvantage every year. Sure, the series is a fun gimmick for fans, but it’s one that works to the Mets disadvantage.