As we posted here yesterday, the Mets will be sending an entourage to Buffalo and all eyes will be on right-handed starter Matt Harvey who could be auditioning for a chance to make his Major League debut next Saturday.against the Dodgers.

If Harvey were to convince the Mets that he is up for the challenge, expect growing pains along the way. But with that said, he should be a significant upgrade over Miguel Batista and that right now should be and is the primary objective.

Last night’s loss was a punch in the gut to say the least and an anguishing defeat after the Mets fought back to take the lead. As I wrote back on June 28, after Collins dubbed Bobby Parnell as the Mets closer, “hold on to your butts, this wasn’t going to be pretty.”

While Parnell looks tantalizingly fit for the closers role by virtue of his devastating fastball which can check in at 100mph, his stomach for the job has been found wanting.

In the 22 save opportunities he’s been entrusted with in his career, Parnell has accumulated a whopping 15 blown saves. That includes his three blown saves in three opportunities in 2012.

When pitching in the ninth inning, opposing hitters are batting .303 against him, and in high leverage situations it’s even worse as Parnell has been torched for a .344 batting average, .410 on-base, and an .856 OPS.

I’m not sure how many more times Bobby Parnell will burn the Mets, but it sure is taking them a long time to see he is not an end-game reliever. This slow and methodical approach we now have, takes too long to figure out the painfully obvious.

Zack Wheeler proved that the time for a Triple-A promotion was last month, not next month. Maybe his complete game shutout last night may push the process along a little quicker. Wheeler has been lights out for almost two months now in Binghamton, and Garrett Olson and Dylan Owen have both needed to be transplanted in the Bisons’ rotation an eternity ago. Again, slow and methodical…

We keep hearing about all the relievers and backup catchers that are available, but aside from some sniffing around, the Mets have been idle while we keep squandering games and adding to the loss column. We’re waiting and taking the slow and methodical approach here too. Hopefully there will still be a season to salvage once they finally make up their minds and come to some sort of a decision on something….

Two weeks ago I would have told you that there was a 95% chance that the Mets would be playing meaningful games in September and a 75% chance that they would win a wild card.

I also wrote that the front office needed to act quickly to advance our cause and support this team’s solid effort. Now two weeks later, with their hands still firmly placed under their buttocks, the momentum has certainly shifted. Can’t you feel it too?

Too bad…