Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

If I told you that in the last week of May, the Mets would be in first place and above .500, you’d have signed up for that, right? Of course you would.

Well, that’s where we’re at, but man, is it ugly right now. The team is decimated by injury. Decimated may not even be a strong enough word to accurately describe the current situation. Ravaged maybe? Devastated? I digress.

It’s hard, if not impossible, to watch at times as players wearing numbers in the 60s and 80s trot out there every day, trying to make something happen for a team they have no real business being on at this stage of their careers.

But there’s a little life to this team. The “Replace-Mets” aren’t laying down, they showed that in a 12-inning victory over the Marlins on Friday. They also aren’t quite good enough to win consistently, dropping Saturday and Sunday’s contests to Miami.

The Mets play 14 more games consecutively. The entire NL East is currently separated by just 2.5 games and there’s definitely some danger ahead of falling in the standings. But right now, the Mets just have to weather the storm and hope reinforcements are on the way because there’s really no other choice.

Weekly Record: 3-3

2021 Record: 21-19 (1st place, NL East)

162 Game Pace: 85-77

What Went Right: The bullpen, again

I’ve used the Mets bullpen here before, but imagine where the team would be if those guys weren’t pitching as well as they are. In Monday and Tuesday’s wins over the Braves, the ‘pen combined for 15 innings pitched, four runs allowed and 21 strikeouts.

In Friday’s 12-inning affair, seven pitchers combined to throw six innings, allowing two runs with 10 strikeouts. Sean Reid-Foley has particularly been a godsend, allowing just one run with nine strikeouts over 5.1 innings of work this past week. His ERA on the year is 1.54 and his WHIP is just 0.86.

What Went Wrong: Minor League hitters facing big league pitching

It’s a tough ask to throw any Triple-A player into a game and ask him to produce at the plate, but right now half of the Mets’ lineup fits that mold on any given day. Poor Khalil Lee has looked like a Gold Glove defender in right, but he can barely make contact, striking out in 10 of his 15 at-bats.

Cameron Maybin is a shell of the player he once was – he’s without a hit in 16 at-bats after the Mets traded for him for the sum of one American dollar. Add in guys like Brandon Drury, Wilfredo Tovar, and Jose Peraza every day and it’s not exactly an intimidating lineup.

Stock Up: Tomas Nido

Remember all those times I called Nido a capable defensive backup with no real ability to hit at the major league level? Well the catcher apparently does, and he’s making me eat my words. Nido is hitting .279 on the year with two homers, seven RBI and an .852 OPS. He ranks near the top of the league in frame rate and has an above-average throwing arm.

Over the last week, Nido has seemingly supplanted the struggling James McCann as the starter and has gone 7-for-17 with two home runs and a double in that span.

Stock Down: Jake Hager

Poor Hager, whose single in the 12th inning Friday – his first hit in eight tries – started the Mets’ game-winning rally, only to be DFA’d the next day. After nine seasons in the minor leagues, that’s a real tough situation for the 28-year-old.

Injury Report

The short answer on the injury front is this: Everyone.

The longer answer looks like this:

Pete Alonso, Tommy Hunter, Taijuan Walker, Kevin Pillar, Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil, J.D. Davis, Luis Guillorme, Carlos Carrasco, Noah Syndergaard, Seth Lugo, Jacob deGrom, Dellin Betances, Albert Almora Jr., Jose Martinez, and Brandon Nimmo.

That’s 16 players on the IL for those counting at home. That roster of injured Mets could compete for a playoff spot.

The good news is deGrom is scheduled to start Tuesday against the Rockies and Davis could return as soon as this week. Other than that, it’s a tedious waiting game for the organization.

Next Up

The next seven Mets games all come at home, where the team is 11-4 on the year, and the Rockies are a bad team that even New York’s backups should be able to compete with them over the next four games. But the Braves come into town next, surely looking to feast on the barren lineup over the weekend.