Looking for a word to describe the 2018 Mets? Resilient

Well, OK. Of course the Mets weren’t going to go 160-2, despite most of our fervent hopes. We knew there would be some rough road ahead and we knew the Washington Nationals weren’t going away quietly. We knew the Mets had to lose a series at some point and do we wish it weren’t against Washington? And at home, yet? Of course. The Nationals got their lofty pre-season ranking for a reason, even if their ranks were sorrowfully depleted. Mets manager Mickey Callaway’s magic touch seemed to have deserted him for 18 innings – from the eighth inning of game one, through the seventh inning of game three – but even Gil Hodges ran out of miracles at points in ’69. At times this week, the Mets looked listless and flat, similar to how they looked for most of last season. For this group, though, such a feeling doesn’t seem to linger.

Just a quick recap. On Friday the thirteenth, the Mets won their ninth consecutive game, first bashing the Milwaukee Brewers, and then hanging on in the face of a fierce comeback. On Saturday, the Brewers took advantage of the blustery Citi Field atmosphere and whacked Matt Harvey into submission. On Sunday, Wilmer Flores cast another walk-off spell after the Mets had characteristically tied it up late. That set the stage for the Nationals’ first visit of the year to their favorite road venue. Coming into the series, the Nats record at Citi Field was 42-16 since 2012. Still stinging from being swept by the Mets a week ago, they came in rarin’ to go. Through seven innings, all that spirit looked wasted, as the Mets built up a 6-1 lead. The Mets’ bullpen imploded in the eighth, though, and Washington pounced for six runs. The next night, the Mets looked drained – and possibly half-deaf from all the wailing coming from their fans and sports talk radio. A lot of us were convinced that a Washington sweep was imminent. The first seven innings of Wednesday night’s game did nothing to dissuade us from that notion as they took a 3-0 lead right off the bat and led 4-2. Remember, the Mets have been specializing in reflexive rallies this early season. Generally, when an opponent takes a lead, more often than not, these Mets answer back right away. They’d had trouble doing that this week – another troubling aspect of this series – but the eighth inning of Wednesday’s game was this characteristic writ large. They plated nine runs in a most improbable comeback/blowout, thus balancing out Monday’s disaster and sending the Nationals away with their heads down. That’s after taking two-of-three from their biggest rivals, folks.

There was a fair bit of moanin’-an’-groanin’ after the first two losses to Washington, yes: this is New York, after all, where minutia is scrutinized and every misstep dissected. And yes, we are only 17 games into the season and a whole lot can still go wrong from spring to fall. But man, 13-4? Only two other Met teams started that well: 1986 and 2015. So if nothing else, the record bodes well for future success. But again, it’s the way they’re winning is what makes you notice. It can safely be said that these Mets are never out of any game, save for a disaster like Monday night. Their scoring reflex is a valuable asset and will serve them well down the line. Besides, it wouldn’t be the Mets if it were a completely smooth ride, now, would it?

We know that, too.

Follow me on Twitter @CharlieHangley.