If you’re both bad and good, are you mediocre?

This is my question about the Mets-how can you be so bad at times yet so good at times? And if you’re both, are you a mediocre team?

I don’t know what to make of anything here. Fernando Nieve was absolutely terrible last night, and Oliver Perez eventually gave up a 2-run homer to Corey Hart that sealed the deal. The Mets did a great job scraping across runs early and then got a 3-run homer from Ike Davis to bring it back to within one, but blew some chances and could never get the game back to within reach.

This was a good offensive showing that we haven’t seen the likes of on the road. But why is it that this team can’t put it together away from Citi Field? It’s possible to make excuses for Fernando Nieve. But if you’re a major league pitcher, you have to come in and be ready to pound the strike zone as a starter. How else are you going to give any length whatsoever with a pitch count of 80, which you know well that you have? Same goes for Oliver Perez.

Speaking of him, Dontrelle Willis was DFA’d yesterday. With a guy with another big deal like Pat Burrell being DFA’d earlier this year, the Mets have to read the writing on the wall and see that you just have to eat Ollie’s deal. Frankly, if you get rid of him and pick up Dontrelle, you don’t change anything moneywise (okay, you pay the minimum to Dontrelle, like $400,000 extra), and you turn a guy Mets fans hate into a guy Mets fans will probably root for, and if he doesn’t work out, well, whatever, at least he isn’t Ollie. Bite the bullet. Please. In 8 starts, Dontrelle’s numbers aren’t atrocious, either. How could you be any worse off than you are now?

Anyway, back to the team in general. It’s absolutely maddening to be a Mets fan-this is why it’s so easy to get very down on the team when they are bad, and easy to get high on them when they are good. When they are playing their best, they can compete with anyone. That is a fair statement. When they are playing their worst, they are uncompetitive-they’ve lost two straight to a Brewers team with one of the worst records in baseball and a pitching staff that’s in shambles. I don’t care if you faced Gallardo on Friday, because you had Santana (a better pitcher) going, and more opportunities to score than Milwaukee did!

It’s a real testament to the preparation and coaching this team gets from the organization of how they can go and fall apart one night yet play great the next. With the exclusion of pitchers, who are in complete control of the way the game progresses, and some of the players’ approaches (everyone against Gallardo looking at 2-strike fastballs, Wright swinging at a high pitch up 2-0 in the count last night), it’s up to the coaches to stay on the players while having them properly ready to play at the same high level every day.

I don’t know what it is about being on the road. The Mets are now 6-16 away from Citi Field and have lost every road series they have played this year.

If you say you want to be good, every member of the organization needs to do things right every day. If you’re incapable (Jerry, Omar, training staff, what have you), you don’t deserve to be around (looking at you, Wilpon).

The ultimate problem, in my opinion, with this team is that if the Mets win more than, say, 85 games, the current regime (but perhaps not Jerry) will be kept around. And say they win 90, make the playoffs by some miracle, and lose. Or say they win 90 and miss the playoffs. Everyone will stay around. The point is, I don’t think the Mets can win with the organizational structure they have right now.

The lineup for today:
1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Luis Castillo 2B
3. Jason Bay LF
4. Fernando Tatis 1B
5. David Wright 3B
6. Angel Pagan CF
7. Jeff Francoeur RF
8. Henry Blanco C
9. R.A. Dickey SP

Is David Wright really batting behind Fernando Tatis? When they are both righties? Just making sure I’m not crazy. Against a lefty, Randy Wolf, no less.

I hate to say it too, but R.A. Dickey is sort of due for a knocking-around. Knock on wood.

Let’s go Mets!