PORT ST. LUCIE — Clean it up, Mets.
After getting whacked by the Nationals, 12-1, Wednesday at Tradition Field, ending their Grapefruit League season with zero wins in their final 13 games, manager Terry Collins walked out of his office and put the Mets’ horrid spring training in perfect perspective.
“It’s time to get out of here, it’s time to get going,’’ Collins told The Post, minutes before boarding the team bus that would take the Mets to the airport and a flight to Las Vegas for two exhibition games against the Cubs and then onto Kansas City for Sunday night’s season opener against the world-champion Royals, the team that beat the Mets in the World Series.
At the end of January, Collins said it was time to begin the quest to “win it all.’’
For that to happen there is much work to be done. The Mets have to clean it up. They were 7-16-5 in Grapefruit League action, but it was more than the record.
They’ve played sloppy. On Wednesday, they made three more errors. The bats are as silent as a snowy winter forest.
Matt Harvey gave up a three-run home run in the first to Ryan Zimmerman then refused to talk to the media, ticked off by the coverage after his comment Tuesday that he needs to pee more to avoid any more bladder clots.
Perhaps Harvey needs to worry a bit more about his pitching performance, after three clunkers and a spring ERA of 7.50, than the media.
Collins said the most important thing is that the Mets came out of here healthy. He is so right about that.
Another nasty number is the 6.00 ERA of closer Jeurys Familia. Bruce Bochy once told me the most difficult thing for his team the year after going to the World Series — and the Giants won in 2010, 2012 and 2014 — was that his bullpen was exhausted the next season because of all the late October work.
The Mets signed Antonio Bastardo for late-inning help, and his spring ERA sits at 6.10.
“You balance it by saying it’s just spring training at this point,’’ Collins said, remaining calm. “Nobody likes to play bad, but right now the one thing we know is that it’s about getting them the at-bats that they need and the innings that they need.
“When the bright lights come on, then you take a look at what the end product is, we’ll worry about that.’’
With two exhibition games in Vegas against the Cubs, the routine becomes more like the season. As for Harvey, Collins said, “It’s still spring training, we’ll worry about how he throws the ball on Sunday night.’’
There has been a lack of continuity this spring and that will change Sunday night as well. The Nationals, meanwhile, are 18-4 as manager Dusty Baker is trying to change the culture.
“They’re hungry right now,’’ Collins said of the Mets’ NL East chief rival.
David Wright warned his teammates at the start that the Mets will have a bull’s-eye on them all year. Wise words.
I asked Collins what red flags he sees. “We certainly didn’t swing the bats very good the last week, but is there a red flag, what do you want me to say, we didn’t have a good record in spring training,’’ Collins said. “But three more days we are zero and zero, and that’s all I’m worried about.’’
The Mets set an attendance record for 14 home games with 96,552 fans, and Collins promised the Mets will pick it up for their fans.
“We certainly plan on giving them something exciting to watch all summer long to where they want to continue to want to come out and they should,’’ Collins said. “This is going to be a fun team to watch. We’ve got great pitching, we’ve got an exciting lineup, we’ve got some depth so, we’re anxious to get started.
“Every night we are going to send a pretty quality pitcher to the mound, that’s what gives me optimism,’’ Collins said. “Many years ago I was told, ‘Be careful what you see in March, don’t pay attention to it.’ ’’
True, but it’s nearly April. Clean it up, Mets.