C'mon now. Those deep sighs of relief that Jacob deGrom's hyperextended right elbow remains in one piece and has been cleared to prepare -- cautiously -- for his next start are really needless.
Anyone with any sense of recent Mets history knows how this all ends. Whether the Wilpons used low-quality mortar in the building of Citi Field, or whether it's just the total environment that surrounds the place, little cracks in the wall tend to rapidly turn into huge, gaping holes in Flushing.
Whether he makes his next start, throws without pain, and resembles the right-hander that has so far fashioned a 3-0, 1.87 mark, or he misses a handful of starts, the dye has been cast. Scare or real concern, he's the first crack.
The rest? We can only wait and anticipate what horrors await.
It may not even come in the form of injury, though a repeat of 2017 and its parade of pitchers that ended their season on the disabled list wouldn't disqualify this group from such a list. These are the Mets, after all, and snake-bite has become a functional part of their DNA.
MORE: DeGrom Will Try To Make Next Start, Mickey Callaway Says
Steve Matz and his cranky back is definitely a future candidate, even if he survives his next start, which has been pushed to Saturday to give the back a little extra time to settle down. Not that he's done anything wondrous on the mound. 1-2, 4.98, anyway. And we have yet to see how fellow left-hander Jason Vargas will rebound from a nine-run debut after sitting out since mid-March after surgery on a broken bone in his non-pitching hand.
Fans have already seen Mickey Callaway lose patience with Matt Harvey and relegate him to the bullpen, and Harvey in turn lose his mind in San Diego with his moth-like attraction to the flame of a Los Angeles celebrity gathering last Thursday.
With Harvey's distractive behavior leading the way, the rest of the Mets' bullpen hasn't picked up the slack. The catching situation, with both Travis d'Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki on the sideline, doesn't look good.
And the whole organization can count itself lucky that the Yoenis Cespedes didn't miss time with the left thumb he jammed Sunday in San Diego. Right now, his most serious problem came Wednesday against the Braves as several diamonds scattered around second base when his chain broke during a first-inning slide.
Shame on him for wearing expensive jewelry during a game. But it doesn't make it easier to overlook the metaphor.
Little things turn into big things around the Mets. Dead arms turn into thoracic outlet situations. Twinges turn into absences.
It's just the way it is in Flushing.
Fans can only hope this deGrom scare is just that, and not a sign of things to come. Because if it does become the first crack, well, it won't be long before that slide down the NL East standings looks like the first dip of a Six Flags rollercoaster.
They dodged a big one -- for now.
If they expect any kind of success this year, they'll just have to keep bobbing and weaving.
Follow Ernie on Twitter at @ErniePalladino
