Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

For the second consecutive week, the Mets finished their most recent seven-day stretch no worse – or better – for wear than they started it.

The week featured identical four-game sets with the Braves and Phillies, each with a doubleheader to start the series.

Both series ended in splits, which isn’t great considering all eight games came at home, where the Mets entered the week with the best record in baseball. But it’s not terrible either, as neither team made up any ground on the first-place Mets in those affairs.

The Mets’ four-game lead in the division is still the largest in baseball.

Weekly Record: 4-4

2021 Record: 40-33 (1st Place, NL East)

162 Game Pace: 89-73

What Went Right: Surviving Old Demons

When the calendar flipped to June, Met fans, understandably, had nightmares of years past, where the month of the Summer Solstice single-handedly doomed the season. Maybe the year is still doomed, but June won’t be to blame.

New York certainly didn’t set the last four weeks on fire – they’re 14-13 in that span – but they battled injuries and inconsistencies and three doubleheaders and have emerged on the other side, still in first place and still very much in control of their own destiny.

What Went Wrong: Scoring Runs

Still? Yes, still. Through three months, the Mets are last in the league in runs, second-to-last in home runs and slugging percentage and 25th in average. It’s not that they don’t have the players – these same guys led the league in batting average a year ago – it’s that the players just aren’t getting the job done.

They changed hitting coaches, and that hasn’t worked either. The approaches are bad. Sunday’s listless performance was all too indicative of what’s gone wrong so far. There’s still reason for optimism, I guess. Manager Luis Rojas and some players said they can feel a breakout coming, though they haven’t shown that on the field.

Maybe they’re right. The lineup is finally healthy, seemingly getting even healthier, and the players have a track record of success. We’ll see.

Stock Up: Kevin Pillar

After a brutal 2-for-27 stretch, Pillar has looked much improved the last couple of games. His pinch-hit opposite-field homer prompted the Met comeback win Saturday night. He made a diving catch in the first inning Sunday and homered in the ninth. As Brandon Nimmo gets set to return, a hot Pillar off the bench and against lefties can be a serious boost to the lineup.

Stock Down: Jeff McNeil

In his first at-bat after 34 games on the IL, McNeil smoked a single to center field on the very first pitch he saw. Since then, he’s 3-for-23 with one RBI and no extra-base hits. His error in Sunday’s game accounted for the first Phillies run.

He’s always been an emotional player, but you can see him absolutely furious with himself every time he makes an out. McNeil wasn’t hitting well before he got hurt, and he hasn’t been able to find his form even after the long layoff.

Injury Report

Joey Lucchesi got the worst possible news last week after an MRI revealed a UCL tear, necessitating Tommy John surgery. Lucchesi was pitching the best he has in his career over his five starts before the injury.

Jonathan Villar was placed on the IL last week with a calf injury and reportedly is headed to Syracuse for a rehab stint this week. Tomas Nido also landed on the IL last week, but his return is less clear with a wrist injury.

Nimmo is expected to be recalled on Tuesday, while J.D. Davis is set to begin a rehab assignment on Wednesday.

Next Up

The Mets start their last road trip before the All-Star break with one game in Washington on Monday before heading to Atlanta for three and back to the city for three at Yankee Stadium.

Four more division games and a cross-town trip to the Bronx will make for another important week as the first half of the season winds down. As of now, the Nats represent the biggest challenge in-division, so not letting them pick up a game is paramount. Burying the Braves a little deeper would also be ideal, as would a good showing against the Yankees, who are dealing with plenty of issues of their own.

With only one deGrom start penciled in for those games, it would be a really, really good time for the Met offense to start gaining some traction.