On July 8 of last year, the Mets fell under .500 for the final time in a topsy-turvy season that resulted in a wild-card berth and an appearance in the NLCS.
When they open a series in Baltimore on Tuesday — a year from that date — they’ll be just behind first-place Philadelphia in the NL East and coming off back-to-back series victories over the Brewers and Yankees following the humiliating sweep at Pittsburgh.
And they can also look into the not-too-distant future and see the return of Kodai Senga, as well as the season debut of Sean Manaea, both of whom could be in the rotation when the Mets visit Kansas City later this week.
Jesse Winker, sidelined since early May, may also be in the lineup Tuesday against the Orioles, as the Mets — winners of four of their past five — look to put behind them the recent 17-game stretch, during which they went 3-14 and saw a 5 ½-game lead in the division turn into as much as a two-game deficit.
