SAN FRANCISCO -- The Mets departed California on Sunday a little worse for wear, having lost their final two games here, having dropped multiple starting pitchers from their rotation, having succumbed to the general fatigue that tends to afflict East Coast teams when they traverse the country. And yet. Despite everything, including their 5-4 loss to the Giants on Sunday, the Mets escaped with a 7-3 record on what was logistically their most difficult trip of the season.

“If you said we were going to finish 7-3 at the start of it, I think we would have taken it,” Jeff McNeil said. “That’s a pretty good trip out here. A long trip. Being able to have that kind of record with the trip out here and the back and forth, I think that’s pretty good.”

The taste in a quiet postgame clubhouse may not have seemed so sweet, given the Mets’ consecutive losses to end the weekend at Oracle Park. They won’t enjoy the benefit of a happy flight home, nor are they likely to be particularly cheerful when they get there; rush hour traffic on the Van Wyck will do that. Still, the Mets could not complain too much after sweeping the A’s, taking two of three from the Dodgers and splitting with the Giants -- and most of that despite missing four-fifths of their regular rotation.

“It’s hard to play on the road,” said starting pitcher Tylor Megill, who took a no-decision Sunday after allowing a season-high four runs in four innings. “We’re out here for a while. We played some good, quality baseball against good teams. As much as it sucks losing today, the guys had a really good road trip.”

If anything, the Mets did not seem to place winning Sunday’s finale as high on their priority list as escaping with their most important players intact. Given a chance to keep things level in the later innings, manager Buck Showalter chose to deploy setup man Drew Smith in a tie game in the eighth rather than David Robertson or Adam Ottavino -- neither of whom had pitched since Wednesday. Smith issued a one-out walk to Joc Pederson and a go-ahead RBI double to Mike Yastrzemski, giving the Giants a lead they did not relinquish.

Asked multiple times afterward why he passed over both his co-closers, Showalter cited “certain things you do over the course of the season to keep everybody healthy.” He also indicated that he views Smith in a similar light as Robertson and Ottavino, who boast 197 career saves between them.

It’s a bit early anyway to begin second-guessing the second-place Mets, who are on a 99-win pace despite playing one of the league’s most challenging April schedules. The team has played 17 of its first 23 games on the road, in stadiums across three time zones. The final 10 of those games took place in California, which typically hosts the most challenging road trip for any East Coast team, messing with body clocks and sleep schedules.

Tack on a long Spring Training that bled directly into the regular season, and most Mets have spent a total of seven nights at home over the last 10-plus weeks. McNeil joked that when he opens his front door early Monday morning, he’ll need to reintroduce himself to his wife.

“I think all of us are ready to get back to New York,” he said.

Plenty of bright spots flashed for the Mets on this trip, including Francisco Álvarez’s first homer of the season in Sunday’s finale. Plenty of adversity impeded their progress as well, including Max Scherzer’s suspension, Carlos Carrasco’s injury and a pitching situation so muddled that team officials still can’t say for sure who will start their series opener Tuesday against the Nationals. No matter. The Mets flew out of San Francisco late Sunday understanding the most difficult road trip -- and most difficult travel month of the season -- were both behind them.

“Disappointing way to end it,” Showalter said. “But guys have been on the road for 17 of the 23 games. It’ll be good to get in their own beds and have some people in their corner.”