Mets’ rotation has held up thus far, but team could use help

The Mets’ lineup is deep and star-studded. Their infield defense, led by Francisco Lindor, is solid. But their pitching remains a question mark: Oh, sure, the bullpen might be OK, but can they really survive all these injuries, and can they thrive despite not having a true wipeout ace?

If you’ve made it this far without beginning to craft a strongly-worded email on how I should pay more attention to the games, I applaud you for your restraint.

But the truth is, that’s kind of what we all thought going into this season: Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas and Paul Blackburn are all still on the injured list, Kodai Senga, at that point, pretty much hadn’t pitched in a year, there was a lot of pressure on Clay Holmes’ transition from reliever to starter, Griffin Canning was something of a mystery, and David Peterson and Tylor Megill — despite flashes of past brilliance — had given Mets fans false hope before.

And yet, it’s one of the things that’s kept this team afloat so far. They just need more of it.

The Mets go to West Sacramento this weekend owners of an 8-4 record, with an MLB-best 2.10 staff ERA and 118 strikeouts to their name. The bullpen has been far better than OK — the unit has a major-league best 1.70 ERA and the somewhat unexpected duo of Max Kranick and Reed Garrett have stranded 25 of 26 inherited runners. The starters have done enough to compensate for a slew of bats that have yet to heat up.

If there’s a nit to pick, it’s that the Mets simply haven’t gotten enough of a good thing. The rotation has pitched only 59 1/3 innings this year, which is 21st in the majors. Peterson is the only pitcher to go a full six innings, and Megill only made it four innings and three batters before being pulled after 90 pitches in Wednesday’s 5-0 loss to the Marlins.

“The bullpen has been killing it from the start,” Megill said. “Obviously, as a starter, you’re trying to go deep into games . . . I didn’t seem to have quite the best stuff today but Max came in and picked me up. Overall, obviously, I’m trying to go deeper into games, give the bullpen some rest . . . (Taxing the bullpen too much means) effectiveness will be down at the end of the year, down the stretch.”

There are some other caveats, too: They’ve faced two uninspiring offenses in the Astros and the Marlins, and while the A’s have a respectable .246 batting average, they’re not exactly scaring opposing pitchers. Their biggest test, in fact, probably won’t come until next week, when they take on the woe-begotten Cardinals, a team that hits the ball very well despite being allergic to winning baseball games.

But it’s clear that David Stearns’ reputation for building strong pitching staffs, and finding hidden gems, in particular, is more than just guff. Even with Manaea’s setback — his inflamed oblique has likely pushed his return to late May — the Mets pitching is doing more than treading water, it’s slicing through the pool like Katie Ledecky.

And not to be too optimistic, but these early returns could portend future success, despite the onus being put on relievers. Manaea proved he could eat up innings when healthy last year, Blackburn’s original timeline sets him up for a late April return, and Montas could potentially be in play for May. By then, the name of the game could simply be getting to the trade deadline. Hey, Sandy Alcantara — how do you feel about orange and blue?

Even without all that, there’s the reality that eventually, this team will hit. The offense hasn’t been terrible, mind you, but other than two blowouts against the Marlins, it hasn’t come close to reaching its potential.

Precedence, though, tells us that will change.

At this point, we’ve grown accustomed to the idea that Lindor takes a little time to heat up at the plate. Despite reaching base in every game this year except Wednesday’s, Juan Soto hasn’t yet shown what he can do. Jeff McNeil is expected to be back at the end of the month (and he told Newsday that he’s gotten his hands on some of those torpedo bats, to boot). And though the returns have been poor, Mark Vientos’ underlying metrics indicate that he’s putting together quality at-bats and chasing less.

“He’s controlling the strike zone, hitting the ball hard, getting good pitches, not chasing,” Carlos Mendoza said, referencing Vientos. “What else can you ask? That’s baseball. At times, it’s not going to go your way, even when you’re doing a lot of things right.”

Until that happens, it seems reasonable to believe that the pitching will keep them upright.

Just like we all expected.