NEW YORK -- Staring down a difficult schedule entering the shortened 2020 season, the Mets could at least take solace in two soft spots. The Marlins were rebuilding. The Orioles were rebuilding. And the Mets had the benefit of playing nearly a quarter of their schedule against those two teams.

That was the idea, anyway. The reality has unfolded quite differently for the Mets, who sit in worse playoff position than the teams they were supposed to beat. In losing an 11-2 blowout to the Orioles on Tuesday at Citi Field, the Mets fell to 7-6 on the season against the O’s and Marlins, with only one game remaining versus that duo.

• Box score

Because they haven’t made up for it with strong play against other teams, the Mets sit outside the National League playoff picture with only 2 1/2 weeks remaining to pick up significant ground. The Orioles and Marlins are both in stronger contention.

“You look around this clubhouse, and not a lot of guys are hanging their heads,” outfielder Jake Marisnick said. “This team’s too good to not make the playoffs. I think we know that.”

Reality, though, tells a different story. More than two-thirds of the way through the season, these numbers explain the troubles in Flushing:

6.34

That’s the Mets’ rotation ERA minus Jacob deGrom, who is again in NL Cy Young Award contention. Take out Seth Lugo, who has been excellent in a small sample stretching out as a starter, and the rotation ERA inflates to 6.75.

Entering last offseason, the Mets knew starting depth would be an issue, so they signed Michael Wacha and Rick Porcello to one-year deals worth a guaranteed $13 million combined. But that pair has proven to be an ineffective solution, going 2-7 with a 6.29 ERA. Of the 14 games Wacha and Porcello have started, the Mets have lost 10 of them. On Tuesday, Wacha allowed five runs (four earned) over four ineffective innings, giving up two homers and a triple among his seven hits. Since delivering a strong outing in his season debut back in July, Wacha has allowed 19 earned runs in 19 innings, with an injured list stint in the middle of it.

“I’m just making too many mistakes,” Wacha said. “I’ve got to be better.”

At this point, the Mets don’t have much choice but to sit back and hope the narrative changes. Noah Syndergaard is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He’s not returning. Marcus Stroman long ago decided not to play due to COVID-19 concerns. He’s not returning. The Mets tried Robert Gsellman in the rotation, but that didn’t work. (He posted an 8.68 ERA as a starter, before allowing six more runs in relief on Tuesday and leaving due to injury). Steven Matz earned a bullpen demotion, which lasted only until he landed on the IL.

The Mets have already used more starting pitchers (10) than they did all last year (nine). They’ve done what they can to plug their leaks, shifting deGrom forward to maximize his innings and moving Lugo to the rotation, but consistent winning baseball has not followed.

“We’ve had some adversities with our starting rotation,” manager Luis Rojas said. “That’s no secret.”

52

The number of points between the Mets’ Major League-leading batting average with the bases empty (.289) and their mark with runners in scoring position (.237) is almost unfathomable. It’s not actually something that affected them much on Tuesday, when they scored their only runs on solo homers by Marisnick and Jeff McNeil. But it’s been a consistent issue all season for the Mets, and it appears to be more than a small-sample-size quirk.

Rojas has spoken often about how his club’s offensive approach seems to grow less disciplined with runners on base -- something that will need to change if the Mets, who had been hitting better in the days leading into Tuesday, want to string together an extended winning streak. They cannot rely on solo home runs.

.647

Realistically, the Mets could make the playoffs with a .500 record, but reaching that mark won’t be easy. They would need to go 11-6 the rest of the way, winning games at a .647 clip that only the Dodgers and Rays have exceeded this season.

In a short sample, it’s possible -- this is, after all, the same team that won 15 of 16 during one stretch last summer, temporarily resurrecting what many thought was a dead season.

But the Mets have two major problems as they eye a repeat performance. One is that last year, the Mets could rely on a rotation of deGrom, Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, Stroman and Matz. Three of those pitchers are no longer here. The other is that the Mets’ schedule is about to grow extremely difficult. Following Wednesday’s series finale against the Orioles, the Mets will play 12 straight games versus teams in playoff position, followed by four to end the season against the defending World Series champion Nationals.

“We’ve got to get hot,” Rojas said. “We’ve got to get on a streak like this team can.”