3 Up

 1.  Mr. Clutch

 For the second time in a week, the Mets were able to avoid being swept because of the bat of Neil Walker. Yesterday, it was Walker who hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the ninth inning off of Francisco Rodriguez which gave the Mets a 3-1 lead. Walker has continued his tear by hitting .469 in his last 12 games with three home runs and nine RBI. Over the weekend Walker collected five more hits, including that crucial two-run homer.

2.  DeGrom Delivers Again

 Jacob deGrom was fantastic in his last outing against the Yankees on Tuesday night, and he duplicated that with another terrific one on Sunday afternoon. deGrom went 6 2/3 innings while allowing seven hits and three strikeouts. He did not allow a run until he exited with the bases loaded and two outs. Unfortunately Jerry Blevins gave up a pinch-hit single off the bat of Ian Kinsler. deGrom now has a 1.52 ERA in his last eight starts and has now lowered his season ERA to just 2.35.

3.  Veteran Contribution   

 Kelly Johnson started all three games this weekend in Detroit and had a hit in all three of them. He gave the Mets a brief 2-1 lead on Friday night when he took Justin Verlander deep. In 42 games since re-joining the Mets, Johnson has hit .281 with five home runs and nine RBI. He has fit in very well and has given the Mets another key veteran presence in the clubhouse.

3 Down

 1.  Verrett Not Getting the Job Done

 With Matt Harvey done for the year, the Mets turned to Logan Verrett to try and help fill the void the best he could in the fifth spot in the rotation. Unfortunately, it just hasn’t worked out, and the Mets may need to look elsewhere at this point. In the series opener, Verrett gave up five runs in the fourth inning on his way to giving up a total of six runs on seven hits. He did not make it out of the fourth inning. In his past six starts Verrett is 0-2 with a 5.61 ERA.

2.  TC’s Decision Making

 I am the last guy you will ever see jump on the manager in times of struggle, but when it’s warranted, I will. I thought the way Terry handled things this weekend was simply just not his best. First, I did not like the lineup he constructed on Saturday night. No matter how poorly Michael Conforto had been hitting, under no circumstance, could I find a reason to start Ty Kelly in left over him. Granite, Kelly proceeded to go on and get two hits, so it didn’t really matter all that much. Secondly, putting two catchers in the lineup just doesn’t make much sense, and if you’re going to DH one of them, make sure its d’Arnaud. Lastly, Terry’s decision to not challenge the call at the plate on Saturday night was just mind blowing. What do you have to lose? Your team is fighting for a playoff spot. “I wasn’t thinking of it at the time” isn’t acceptable.

3.  Can’t Get Hot   

 At some point the Mets are going to need to put together a little winning streak, or else they may find themselves a little too far out of reach of a Wild Card spot. We all know by now how long it’s been since they’ve put together back-to-back wins, and it’s undoubtedly as frustrating for the players as it is for the fans, but a win-loss, win-loss formula from here on out just won’t cut it. The Mets now head back home to face off against two below average teams in the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres. You would think the trend will break.