Michael Baron, MetsBlog.com:

The Mets have used seven different players in the leadoff spot this season, all of whom are batting a collective .182 with a .250 OBP.

What’s worse, the team is hitting only .179 with a .238 OBP, two walks and 11 strikeouts when leading off a game.

This past Sunday, Terry Collins inserted Daniel Murphy into the leadoff spot for the first time this season. Murphy had not hit there since 2009.

“We were talking about how we needed to find somebody to lead off,” Collins said before Monday’s game. “And Bob Geren said, ‘Hey, how about we lead Murphy off?’”

Murphy is just 1-for-8 out of the leadoff spot so far. His one hit was a go-ahead solo home run against the Cubs on Sunday. However, Murphy is 10-for-31 with four doubles, three home runs and three RBI, with three walks, when leading off an inning this year. And, Murphy is 14-for-his-last-32 at the plate, although his eight-game hitting streak came to an end with his 0-for-4 at the plate on Monday against the Reds.

At this point, why not hit Murphy leadoff? He is a good contact hitter, he works counts, he can foul pitches off and – when he’s going right – he’s an on-base machine and a quality table-setter at the top of the lineup.

Is he a prototypical leadoff hitter? No, but nobody else on this team is either. At least Murphy has a consistent approach at the plate, which so far is working for him. Terry needs to ‘ride the hot hand,’ and see what offense he can generate from the top of the order. And, if that means batting Murphy leadoff, so be it…

Matthew Cerrone, MetsBlog.com:

Eh, I mean, he’s a baseball player who owns a first base glove, so it makes sense he’d get a look – especially considering the situation with Davis. Barton was cut, unclaimed and sent to Triple-A twice already this season. He’s a really good defensive first baseman who has had seven years to become a consistent hitter and he just hasn’t done it, despite hitting well in the minors. Frankly, given the team’s long-term plan, I’d rather Ike at that point.

Matthew Cerrone, MetsBlog.com:

This is his first season in Double-A. He had injuries in the past, but seems healthy now. On paper, he reads like he should be a top prospect (tremendous size, decent pop, son of a big-leaguer, big college hitter, etc.), but he just hasn’t hit for average yet and he’s looked over-matched at times in the field. He has the goods, though, you can tell just by looking at him, which is why (at 24-years-old) this is a pivotal season for Vaughn… especially considering he’s an outfielder in an organization in dire need of outfielders.

Matthew Cerrone, MetsBlog.com:

In February, Darren Meenan started planning an event for his T-shirt company, the7Line.com, offering fans a a general admission ticket to Mets-Cubs in Wrigley Field with a limited-edition shirt (celebrating the occasion).

This past weekend, Meenan and 505 other members of “The 7 Line Army,” all wearing bright orange t-shirts, waited in line together outside Wrigley, arriving before 10 a.m. to guarantee sitting together. It worked, and it was an amazing sight to see in an away team’s ballpark.

I respect and admire Meenan and every one of these 505 fans — some of who traveled from 17 different states, as well as from England and Guam — because it’s so opposite of my experience as a Mets fan. I grew up 3 hours from Shea Stadium, surrounded by Yankees and Red Sox fans. I knew a total of two Mets fans growing up. To me, being a Mets fan was about taking cover and constantly defending my team, which I mostly watched alone on television.

It’s not much different today, in that I spend the bulk of my time defending my work and obsessing over news and rumors: who said what, what it means, where’s this team headed, did they win or lose, how do things get better, and how do I write about it all on this blog? In the rare event I watch a game with other fans, I barely talk. I’m antsy, nervous, focused on the game and what’s happening. It’s actually why I like going to games alone, or simply watching on TV, because I can’t concentrate when other people are around. This level of focus and borderline obsessive compulsiveness is what has helped grow this blog to 3 million page views each month, but it also builds walls around the experience of being a fan.

On the other hand, “The 7 Line Army” is not about content. It’s’ about community. They seem to love being Mets fans as much as they love the Mets.

“We all want to win, obviously,” Meenan told me on his way back from Chicago. However, he added, “In these times, we realize we need to stick together like a family.”

The Mets lost Saturday in front of Meenan’s Army. Were they disappointed in the loss? Probably, but it didn’t stop them from chanting, “We had fun, we had fun,” at the end of the game. This same attitude (which is neither pro- or anti-team, so much as it’s pro-experience) can also be seen on Twitter in a growing clique of young, passionate and popular fans who talk about their love of the game and support of the players and other fans more than they talk about ownership, wins, losses and roster decisions.

I’m sure this is mind boggling to some Mets fans, who likely cursed the TV after Saturday’s game or took to Twitter or this site’s comment section to demand Terry Collins be fired or Ike Davis be demoted. Meanwhile, disappointed — but likely also gearing up for an afternoon of fun on Clark Street — Meenan and company were greeted in the outfield by Collins and others members of the team saying thank you for traveling to Chicago to support the Mets…

It’s easy to get wrapped up in drama and get bogged down in the misery of a disappointing season. However, hearing of Meenan’s afternoon in Wrigley was a reminder to me that baseball is entertainment and it should be an escape from the day to day grind of life. It’s supposed to be fun. And, I love that — win or lose — The 7 Line Army is having fun. Good for them…

Michael Baron, MetsBlog.com:

Shaun Marcum pitched a lot better last night than his final line shows, and it appears he’s turned a corner over his last two starts.

Marcum allowed four runs in six innings with a season-high seven strikeouts, three of which came in the first inning and one in the last.

“I made four or five mistakes and they all got hit,” Marcum said after the game. ”104 pitches, five mistakes, I’m OK with that.”

Marcum fell to 0-5 for the season with a 6.59 ERA, though he’s lowered his ERA by two full runs over his last two starts.

Yesterday, he wasn’t helped by Ike Davis’ mental mistake in the first inning, which cost the Mets an extra base and potentially a run.

That’s not to say Marcum wasn’t struggling early in the game, because he was. And he was nibbling around the corners with his cutter and falling behind in the count. However, after the first inning, Marcum got more aggressive with his secondary pitches — especially his cutter and change-up — and he was able to throw them for strikes. He kept the Reds off-balanced in the middle innings, and he was able to pitch to weak contact and get some quick outs.

In his starts earlier this year, Marcum was clearly still building his stamina. He basically had no Spring Training, and he didn’t get much work in his rehab either thanks to relapses with a neck injury. However, he has been a different pitcher of late, throwing higher quality strikes and working with a faster overall tempo. If he continues to pitch like this, the wins should come, assuming he can get some run support and better defense.

Matthew Cerrone, MetsBlog.com:

Tejada is in a terrible slump, but he’s a mostly sound player who probably needs the opportunity to dig himself out. In regards to Valdespin, I’m not sure the argument for sending down a guy who is never given a chance to consistently play anyway…

As for Ike, he ended April and started May making good contact, though his hits feel for mostly singles. Now those balls are being hit right at the opposition, and he’s become a total mess because of it; and on Monday it looked to be infiltrating his defense, as he looked totally confused on the play with Joey Votto at first base.

The Mets can keep stalling, but it’s pretty clear he needs to be demoted soon. I was all for waiting him out, hoping he’d turn things around like he did after a similarly bad start last year. But now this looks totally different. Last year he looked and acted confident, even affable, as if he knew he’d eventually snap back. This year, he looks like a totally different cat. He seems frustrated, distracted and unsure of himself. He looks like a guy who needs a mental break. He needs time in Triple-A, away from the media, away from the fans, away from the question about when he’s going to be better, so he can relax, find his swing get back to being the player needed in this lineup and in the future.

He didn’t hit 32 home runs last year by accident. He’s a talented hitter with great defensive skills. The Mets need to know if he can be that player again, or if they have to add first base to the already-crowded list of positions in need of an upgrade this winter.