Just Keep Smiling...

Monday night was a rough one, but have no fear, there are 161 more games to get things right

That was not an ideal way to kick off what feels like an exceptional new era of New York Mets baseball.

Jacob deGrom pitches a gem, the offense can’t capitalize on opportunities, and the bullpen implodes.

We’ve heard this one before. It’s a story as old as the guy who sells game programs in the stadium rotunda (love that guy), actually.

Disappointment aside, Monday night’s gut-wrenching loss to the Phillies was just one of 162 games on the slate for this season. Get back up, shake the dust off, and continue on. It’s the only way.

With the success this particular roster has been constructed for well within reach, a tough defeat — especially this early in the season — can’t be harped on.

Pulling a lights-out deGrom after 77 pitches was a strategic move that backfired. Simple as that.

On a chilly, windy, April evening with a revamped bullpen ready for deployment, as well as the fact he’s scheduled to take the ball again on Saturday at home versus Miami, going to the relief corps was a viable option for Mets skipper Luis Rojas.

Miguel Castro did his job. Trevor May’s momentary lapse in command set him back but Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen’s outstanding at-bat to keep the inning alive was the culprit behind Monday’s game unraveling.

Can’t do a whole lot about that. Uncle Larry is one of the best ballplayers of his generation. Just because he’s on the back nine doesn’t mean that plate approach suddenly disappears. Impressive stuff.

Left-hander Aaron Loup admitted after the game that hitting Bryce Harper in his first batted-faced of the season was not a great way to start his night or his Mets tenure, and we’re not debating that, but such is the life of a relief pitcher.

Turn the page and keep that train moving.

Luis Guillorme, for example, need not concern himself with the barely-wide throw home that escaped James McCann’s clutches, allowing two runs to score and staking Philadelphia to a 4-2 in the eighth.

Dominic Smith, who was passed over in the starting lineup in favor of Kevin Pillar (despite owning similarly solid numbers against left-handed pitching over the last two seasons, a reason Rojas pointed to as the impetus behind the team’s decision to start Pillar in centerfield) will continue to show up to the ballpark ready to contribute. We know that much.

Pete Alonso, who got just underneath the first pitch he saw from Phillies’ right-hander Jose Alvarado as the go-ahead run at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, is presumably well aware that these are the breaks.

Marcus Stroman, who takes the mound for the Mets Tuesday night, is more than likely pining for the chance to pick his teammates up. Everyone in that clubhouse assuredly has redemption on their minds, as well.

That’s the vibe we’re trying to capture here, from the field to the tailgate — knock us down but we’ll keep getting up.

And if you’re ever in doubt as to whether this franchise truly is finding its way out of the woods, just take a look at Francisco Lindor and remind yourself to just keep smiling. LFGM.

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