Considering the circumstances — the time of the year, the steepness of their free-fall, the narrowing wild-card race — Thursday amounted to nearly a must-win for the Mets, who had a four-run lead after their starting pitcher was done and four innings to cover. 

Manager Carlos Mendoza lined up what is right now his bullpen A-team: Tyler Rogers, Brooks Raley, Gregory Soto and Edwin Díaz, who threw four scoreless innings to complete a series victory over the Padres. 

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Ryan Helsley believes there is enough time for him to prove he has broken through and warrants a spot in Mendoza’s circle of trust. 

“With a week left — three, four, maybe five outings — just trying to get those and get my confidence back,” Helsley said before the Mets played Game 154, opening a series with the Nationals at Citi Field. “Just try to go back to being myself and helping the team win.”