Mets need the big bats to come alive, and the mental mistakes to stop.

The Mets have four solid major league hitters in their every day lineup----Daniel Murphy, David Wright, Curtis Granderson, and Lucas Duda. David Wright is a perennial all-star every single season. Curtis Granderson is a former all-star who has hit 40 home runs in back to back seasons. Daniel Murphy leads the National League in hits. Lucas Duda has serious power and is improving offensively in 2014.

Stunningly, the Mets have scored the sixth most runs in the National League with runners in scoring position---a number not many are sure how they have. If you look through the individual numbers, Wright, Duda, and Granderson all have 30 or more RBIs, and Daniel Murphy continuously bats over .300.

Travis d'Arnaud was supposed to be the fifth bat in this Met lineup, expected to lengthen the middle of the order behind Duda. d'Arnaud's struggles--dating back to the second half of last season--continued in 2014, and he now finds himself in Triple-A Las Vegas. Chris Young was signed for $7 million to hit 15 home runs, according to GM Sandy Alderson. Nontheless, the Mets have four capable bats in the middle of their lineup. They need ramp it up even more if the Mets don't want the ship to completely sink under water.

The Mets are coming off an embarrassing end to their road trip which start off magnificently. After winning 6 of 7, the Mets were swept by the game's worst, and best, baseball teams---Cubs and Giants. Thanks to the mediocrity of their division, they only sit 5.5 games out. This team is not by any means a playoff team. Can they be a competitive one? Yes. They've shown flashes of it this season.

The mental mistakes, such as the base running blunder made in game two against San Fransisco this past weekend, need to stop. These are major league baseball players and this is the game they've been playing all their life. Blame it on the coaches, manager, schedule, or whatever you'd like--there's no excuse.

The 2014 Mets are not out of any race at the moment. If the mistakes and untimely hitting continue, they will be. The pitching is fine, and can only get better. The bullpen will round into form. The lineup has legitimate hitters in the middle. Now go out there and HIT, FIELD, and be SMART.