Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

What a strange week it was in Met Land.

After taking three of four from the Cubs – making it five-of-seven against Chicago and San Diego in back-to-back series – the Mets couldn’t solve the Washington pitching staff in four games over the weekend – losing three of four.

Even with manager Luis Rojas implementing heavy right-handed lineups, the Mets couldn’t do much against Nats lefties Jon Lester and Patrick Corbin. Kyle Schwarber had an unbelievable series, hitting five homers in two games to essentially win both of those by himself.

The offensive woes from the latter half of the week – namely, two shutouts and two two-run performances from Thursday through Sunday – were reminiscent of the team’s early-season struggles at the plate.

But the Mets have been alone in first place for six weeks, they’re still the only team in the division above .500, and, believe it or not, it turns out the sky is not falling.

Weekly Record: 4-4

2021 Record: 36-29 (1st Place, NL East)

162 Game Pace: 90-72

What Went Right: Battling the Big Boys

I’ve written over the last couple of weeks that the Mets had the chance to prove they aren’t just a product of a bad division, that they could hang with the big boys in the National League and compete with guys like Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo and Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado.

Well, they did that and then some. Taking the season series from the Padres and three of four from the Cubs is no small feat, and it’s a good sign if the Mets are going to be competing come playoff time.

What Went Wrong: Scoring Runs

Sometimes the right answer is the most obvious one. The Mets were shut out on Thursday and Friday and scored two runs when they were already down six in the seventh and final inning of Saturday’s doubleheader. Even in their win in Game 1 on Saturday, only Francisco Lindor had any real success, driving in all five of New York’s runs.

Sunday was more of the same, with Pete Alonso and Kevin Pillar each hitting a solo homer for the only Met scoring on the day. It’s troubling for sure, but it’s a new week and help is on the way.

Stock Up: David Peterson

The David Peterson we’ve seen in his last two starts has looked much more like the impressive rookie we saw in 2020 and less like the struggling sophomore he’s been for most of 2021.

His best start in a month came last Monday with six innings of shutout ball against the Cubs. The lefty followed that up on Saturday with 4 2/3 innings of work against the Nationals, allowing one run and striking out six.

Stock Down: Mason Williams

It’s a tough break for Williams, who had some nice moments as a fill-in with the Mets this season. He was DFA’d with the activation of Albert Almora Jr., and even if he clears waivers will be way down on the pecking order with the returns of McNeil, Conforto, and Nimmo, as well as the impressive play of Billy McKinney.

Williams was 0-for-his-last-13 at the plate but played a good center field for the Mets at a time they desperately needed it.

Injury Report

Bad news first this week: Joey Lucchesi, who seems to really have turned a corner in his season, was placed on the IL with elbow inflammation and is due for an MRI on Monday.

Now, the good news: Almora Jr. returned Saturday and has looked good in his brief time back, Jeff McNeil is due to make his return Monday while Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo are both on rehab assignments in Triple-A, making their own returns imminent. The Mets are finally becoming whole.

In scary news, Jacob deGrom again had to leave his start early on Wednesday – this time with shoulder pain – after striking out eight of the nine batters he faced. It seems all is well with the best pitcher in the world, though, and he’s set to return to the hill Monday.

Next Up

Sure, there’s reason for concern after the Nationals series, but it’s not time to hit the panic button just yet. The Mets should be as close to fully healthy as they’ve been all year in the next couple of weeks and they play 15 of the 22 games before the All-Star break at Citi Field – where they’ve been the best home team in baseball thus far.

This week features eight games in six days against the Braves and Phillies, with an off-day Thursday and doubleheaders Monday and Friday. If the Mets can take care of business in that clustered span against division foes, the Nationals series will be but a blip in a well-traversed first three months.