"Quiet teammates, lost in thought, drifting from the game. Scanning the dugout during Tuesday night's loss to San Diego, Jason Bay finally saw it: dead energy.

"That was the first night when the dugout was really quiet, just kind of that 'lull' feel," Bay said.

The Mets - who despite Wednesday's snoozy 7-3 win over the Padres, finished their road trip with two wins and four losses - have arrived at a precarious juncture, at risk of squandering their first-half reputation for pluckiness. Decimated by injuries, the team has tumbled far from the wild-card race, as it did last August."