Per the suggestion of Argonbunnies, let’s have some discussion about the first two games.

I’ll open with a few conversation starters …

Game 1:

– We’ve discussed here time and again that defense and fundamentals — i.e., “the little things” — are just as important as hitting for a championship club. That said, when Yoenis Cespedes blows the first ball hit to him, and doesn’t make up for it with his bat, well …

– Speaking of that first pitch of the initial inning, what was most surprising and/or detrimental: a) the fact Matt Harvey threw a fastball over the heart of the plate to a batter who swings at the first pitch of every at-bat; b) the fact that a fairly routine fly ball was misplayed into an inside-the-park homerun; c) the fact that the play was scored as a homer instead of a four-base error?

– Kelly Johnson is the best DH option?

– Why wasn’t Jonathon Niese brought out for a third inning of relief?

Game 2:

– If Jacob deGrom nor Harvey can stop the KC offense, who can?

Overall / In General:

– Why hasn’t Steven Matz been given the ball yet? What are the Mets waiting for?

– What’s up with Daniel Murphy‘s visible complaints about the strike zone? Does he have a legitimate beef, or is he not seeing the ball as well as he did previously in the postseason and is that why he’s suddenly cold?

– Can the Mets win if Cespedes doesn’t hit?

Again, these are merely conversation starters. Feel free to respond or start your own topic.

How hot is Daniel Murphy right now? How many hits do you think he’ll get in the World Series? Five? Seven? Ten? More?

Maybe you’d bet on six — would you put your money where your mouth is? Would you put that money toward something awesome? Like making a difference in the lives of youngsters? Here’s your chance.

OK, it’s not really a “new” Mets fight song — it’s actually a remake of the oldest Mets song — Meet the Mets.

The band is a local one — Mike Ferraro and The Young Republicans. No, it’s not THAT Mike Ferraro, and, sadly, I don’t think they’re registered Republicans. But they are (fairly) young. And they’re awesome. And you should buy their CD if you like their rendition of Meet the Mets, which is kind of brooding and melancholy — in other words, fitting for a Mets fan.

Sing it now. Sing it all day. Sing it tonight. Every little bit helps, right?

As quoted by Adam Rubin on ESPN, Terry Collins said this when questioned about the availability of Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard for game 5 of the NLDS:

“We’re going to be smart about it,” Collins said. “We’re not going to be foolish and go right to Matt Harvey, say, if Jake’s in trouble in the second inning. I think we’ve got to be wise enough to know that this will be the first time he’s ever done something like this, too.”

Um, what?

News flash to Collins, Mets management, Harvey, Scott Boras, and anyone else involved in the decision-making process: this is an ELIMINATION game. That means, literally, win or go home. Which in turn means “all hands on deck.”

Collins’ response had nothing to do with any illogical innings limits boondoggle that may or may not be followed by Harvey or any other pitcher. Rather, Collins is suggesting that Harvey — and Syndergaard, for that matter — might not be brought in to the game because they’ve never before pitched in relief. What? Really?

Guess what? If Noah Syndergaard is needed to pitch in relief, he goes to the mound. If Lucas Duda needs to run to the bullpen to warm up a reliever, he’ll grab a mask and do it. If Jacob deGrom needs to leave the mound and play shortstop, then he’ll go there. Even though they’ve never done these things before. Because it’s potentially the last game of the season. It’s all or nothing. Everyone does whatever they need to do to win the game. This is not a time for “geez, I’d like to put the best guy possible into a spot, but he’s never before done it this way.” No. Every player understands what’s at stake, and will step up to do whatever is necessary. A manager hedging even a little bit is beyond comprehension. Further, if there IS concern about key pitchers never coming out of the bullpen before, then why wasn’t there thought or preparation of that three weeks ago?

Interested to hear your take on this. Fire away.

The wait is over. Michael Conforto makes his MLB debut tonight for the New York Mets. He bats seventh. Considering that John Mayberry, Jr. recently batted CLEANUP, the Metssiah’s arrival was inevitable.

Post your reaction in the comments.

Thank goodness the Reds were in a tailspin when they visited Flushing or this situation would be even uglier. Here’s the scary thing: the next 25 games may be the Mets’ most difficult stretch of the season.

Mets 2 Brewers 0

Who said the Mets couldn’t beat a bad baseball team? Never mind it took three tries — they CAN.

Further, they can not only score with a lineup featuring Ruben Tejada in the two-hole, they can score TWICE.

I don’t have any game notes as I was working at my real job. Please post your notes in the comments. Thank you.

By the way, I blinked and the Washington Nationals are seven games over .500. When and how did that happen? Interestingly enough, the Nats’ sudden surge was completely independent of the Mets’ recent 7-game slide. Meaning, one had nothing to do with the other. And yet, the two streaks are intrinsically intertwined. Kind of cool, huh?

Next Mets Game

Mets return home for a weekend series against the Cincinnati Reds. Friday night’s game features Noah Syndergaard facing Johnny Cueto. Game time is 7:10 PM.

Brewers 4 Mets 1

It’s official: the Mets offense is so awful, they make bad pitchers look good. And the Mets are now under .500, after being as many as ten games above it at one point in the season.