Keith Hernandez was bullish on the Mets’ chances this season after watching the team win 101 games last year under manager Buck Showalter.

Heading toward the All-Star break the Mets have underwhelmed, but they have won five in a row to lift their record to 41-46 as they prepare for their final series of the first half.

The former Mets first baseman and longtime SNY analyst spoke to Post Sports+ this week about the team’s play.

Was there anything heading into the season that should have forewarned us this disappointing first half was coming?

Keith Hernandez: The injuries to the starting pitchers [Justin Verlander and Jose Quintana] was a red flag. It definitely wasn’t with the offense, the way the team played last year.

The concern was not having much of your rotation to start the season. We knew we weren’t going to have [Edwin] Diaz. David Robertson has been terrific, but the depth of our bullpen was compromised.

What kind of job has Buck Showalter done? Is he the same manager as last season?

KH: He’s the same guy. He’s done the best he can patching things together. As far as his nurturing of the bullpen, I’ve never seen a manager more concerned about not overworking a bullpen, and that’s a positive. …

Now who could have predicted the month of June [when the team went 7-19]? No one could have predicted that. It could have been a 10-16 month or a 12-14 month. Whatever button was pushed didn’t turn out; it was Murphy’s Law.

What gives you hope, if anything, this season can still turn around for the Mets?

KH: They are getting Quintana back, Verlander is starting to turn it on and I really felt that both [Max] Scherzer and Verlander coming out late — in Scherzer’s case there was the early suspension — was really like spring training for them and it was going to take them awhile to get into the groove.

What looks good to me is that Verlander has thrown great the last two starts. Scherzer is 8-2; he finds a way to win. And [Kodai] Senga is getting better as he has gotten more acclimated. Wednesday was the most dominant performance of the year for any of the Mets’ pitchers. That gives us four starters we [can] run out there and … we’re only 6 ½ games back from the third wild card.

In his press conference last week Steve Cohen projected a sense of calm and said the players have to play better, but he took ultimate responsibility for the team’s poor record. As a player, how would you respond to that kind of message?

KH: Whether you’ve got a [George] Steinbrenner or a Cohen, who are two polar opposites, it would have no effect. You just know that when a crisis like this hits and you have the general manager come out and have a press conference to address the play of the club and the next day the owner holds a press conference, as players you know you’re not performing on the field. You know you’re kind of responsible for this with the play.

With the Cardinals we had Augie Busch come down in 1978 and had a meeting with us in late August. We were in last place behind the Mets — the lowly Mets. I was 24 years old, so I was a relatively young player, and it really didn’t have any effect on me. It’s about going out there and playing better.

Should it be distressing to the Mets that the Braves just keep improving and seem like a team that’ll be a formidable obstacle in the NL East for several years?

KH: It’s not an issue for the players. The players are going to go out and play. It’s more an issue for the front office — how are they going to improve the club to compete? You’ve got three wild card teams now, which I’m not particularly fond of. The third team I just don’t like. But those issues about the Braves — kudos, tip your hat to the front office of the Braves — as far as countering that, it’s the job of the front office, not the players.

Is this season any less fun for you in the booth because of the team’s disappointing record?

KH: It remains fun for me, in large part because of the pitch clock and the games are moving faster. … I enjoy going to the ballpark and watching a ballgame, where a lot of times before it could be drudgery.

Want to catch a game? The Mets schedule with links to buy tickets can be found here.

Mets players will be keeping busy during the All-Star break, but largely detached from baseball.

That isn’t the case for Pete Alonso, of course, who is the only Mets player scheduled to represent the team in Seattle next week before players reconvene for a late-afternoon workout on Thursday at Citi Field.

As for the other Mets, Brandon Nimmo said he plans to remain in New York and will likely explore a golf course or two on Long Island that have been on his list. Nimmo said he’s worked in rounds of golf on Mets off days during the season.

“I like experiencing courses in different parts of the country,” Nimmo said. “It’s been a fun release for me.”

Francisco Lindor plans a return home to Orlando, where he will introduce his mother and father to his daughter Amapola Chloé, who was born on June 17.

“My mom hasn’t been able to travel and my dad doesn’t like to fly, so they’ve not gotten to see her,” Lindor said.

But Lindor knows better than to say he will completely ignore the All-Star festivities.

“I always say, ‘I’m not watching, I’m not watching,’ and I end up watching it,” Lindor said.

Adam Ottavino said he will keep his tradition intact of taking his family to Colorado during the break for hiking and “outdoorsy stuff.” Ottavino said the goal is to decompress for a few days and tune out baseball as much as possible.

“I will pay a little attention to the home run derby because Pete is in it,” Ottavino said. “The game itself I probably won’t watch, I will check out the highlights. I will try not to think about baseball as much as I can. I will do some stuff to keep my arm moving … and then lock it in when we get back.”

It’s still to be determined in which direction the Mets will head as the Aug. 1 trade deadline approaches, but the team’s recent improved play has at least dampened some of the talk about a complete sell-off.

The last complete Mets overhaul during a season occurred in 2017, when the team traded Lucas Duda, Addison Reed, Neil Walker, Curtis Granderson and Jay Bruce, all of whom were in the last years of their contracts.

The Mets went heavy on minor league pitchers on the return and received, most notably, Drew Smith from the Rays for Duda.

Another reliever acquired in those trades, Stephen Nogosek, had an extended stay with the Mets before he was designated for assignment this season and opted for free agency.

It’s more difficult than ever to hit the jackpot on prospects when trading a rental player, but the Mets were desperate enough two years ago to get Javier Baez that they surrendered Pete Crow-Armstrong. The 21-year-old outfielder is now ranked No. 9 among MLB prospects, according to MLB.com.