The New York Mets suffered a historically devastating 25-4 loss to the Nationals in Washington on Tuesday night, and even the announcers seemed confused about how to handle it.

Nationals Destroy Mets 25-4 For Franchise Record

The crushing defeat marked the Mets’ worst in the franchise’s 57-year history, while the Nats set a new record for runs scored. New York even ended up using shortstop Jose Reyes as a relief pitcher, although this didn’t help the team, as Reyes gave up six runs in the eighth inning. Nationals slugger Ryan Zimmerman faked charging at Reyes at one point after he was hit by a slow pitch.

SLIDESHOW: 30 Best Sports Instagrams! 

The Mets’ (44-60) broadcasting team, led by Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez, decided to deal with the blowout by reading (seemingly word for word) from the organization’s media guide. The pair decided to play some “media guide music,” something they called a “collaborative effort.” The theme song to Masterpiece Theatre then started playing as background music. Hernandez and Cohen started on page 420 of the media guide, which was the post-season section. The duo then went on to recall several instances in which the Mets either suffered major losses or earned big victories in the playoffs, dating all the way back to the 1960s. Only occasionally did they comment on the current game during that segment.

Washington’s 25 runs were the most scored by any team in MLB since the Texas Rangers defeated the Baltimore Orioles 30-3 in August 2007.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

“Tough loss,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. “It’s embarrassing. We’ve got to do better. … We made way too many mistakes tonight, and they weren’t missing.

“Nobody wants to lose like that. We all want to win games. It’s a bad loss.”

The Nationals (53-53) are third in the NL East and eight games ahead of the fourth-place Mets, whose bullpen continues to be marked by several injuries, among the latest of which is Noah Syndergaard. 

New York Mets infielder Wilmer Flores is once again the talk of the town.

Flores has had quite a week, first he tied the Mets record for hits in a game Sunday (held by his hero and fellow Venezuelan Edgardo Alfonzo), going 6-for-6 with two home runs, now he’s 3-for-6, with three homers and five RBI in his last two contests.

OPINION: Wilmer Flores Is Who Mets Thought He Was

With the Mets tied 4-4 with the, first-place, Washington Nationals Thursday, Flores clubbed a three-run homer to put New York ahead for good, moving the Mets within three games of the Nats.

Much like last season, Queens is singing the praises of Flores, the 6-foot-3 infielder, who cried on the field after he learned he was set to be traded. After the trade fell through, Flores hit a walk-off and Mets fans fell in love.

FLORES LETS TEARS FLOW ON-FIELD

And that summer fling has started once again.

Who doesn’t love the story? Scrappy kid, supposed to be traded for a lost son (Carlos Gomez), but instead has stepped in to fill the role of David Wright, or really, whomever’s position he is capable of playing.

You know the type, journeyman utility guy whom can give you a good boost off the bench, but struggles to perform everyday. Now, the journeyman is becoming a hero before our very eyes.

It is a convenient narrative, the problem, it is far from true.

Dennis Green once famously said, “the Bears are who we thought they were.”

DENNIS GREEN AT HIS FINEST

Well, guess what Metropolitan fans, Wilmer Flores is who the Mets thought he was.

Flores is not a scrappy, diminutive kid, who just keeps on persevering despite all the obstacles in front of him. He’s not a 10-year minor leaguer, finally getting his shot. And he’s not a hometown kid like Mike Baxter, who finds ways to help, despite his limited skill set.

The only limit for Flores is his defensive range. The kid was a blue chip prospect, signed out of Venezuela on his 16th birthday.

He is a slender 6-foot-3 infielder, with power, who has one at-bat shy of one thousand in parts of three seasons in the majors and he is only 24 years old.

Don’t believe me, read for yourself.

From acclaimed New York Times sports writer Ben Shpigel, March 14, 2009.

“The organization is still buzzing about how Flores, one of the youngest players in the minors last season, pummeled rookie-level Appalachian League pitching and slammed seven of his eight home runs before his 17th birthday. In all, over three minor league stages, Flores hit .307 with 42 RBI.”

Flores did not come out of no where, just ask former Mets Vice President for Development, Tony Bernazard:

“Think about it,” Bernazard told Shpigel seven years ago. “Realistically now, (Flores) would be a junior in high school. Instead he’s playing in major league exhibition games. It’s unbelieveable.”

Shpigel’s story was written during spring training, about a kid who, at 17, was good enough to make the expanded roster.

Remember Fernando Martinez Mets fans? You know, the slick, smooth outfielder who glided across the grass to track balls and was a future-menace in the batter’s box? The five-tool guy?

Well Fee-Mart may as well be working at K-mart nowadays.

After the Houston Astros cut him loose, the Yankees picked him up, before he was suspended for 50 games for PEDs in 2013.

He now plays in the Mexican League.

But don’t forget that Fernando Martinez was supposed to be the second coming, the next wave after Wright and Jose Reyes.

Flores was mentioned in the same ilk.

“As teenagers, the All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes and the elite outfield prospect Fernando Martinez played in major league exhibition games, ” Shpigel wrote. “And Flores is likely to mimic their accelerated path.”

Flores was supposed to be at second base with Reyes at short and Wright at third. That was the organization’s vision.

So it isn’t so far-fetched to think Flores could come in to replaced the injured Wright.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great story, especially Thursday’s heroics. Collins leaves him out of the lineup and he demands to be put in the game, then provides the go-ahead home run, how great is that?

“We were ready for this,” Flores said after yesterday’s win, alluding to the adversity they face after losing Matt Harvey. “We were not gonna put our head down as players.”

Flores can still be scrappy and lovable. But he wasn’t a 35th rounder, he wasn’t a rule-five guy and he wasn’t a career-minor leaguer.

As it turns out, Wilmer Flores is exactly who the Mets thought he was: a good-looking, young, prospect with a future in the organization.

When Jose Reyes strolled to the plate for his first at-bat since returning to the New York Mets Tuesday, that familiar sound was there to greet him.

OPINION: Mets Fans Can’t Expect Jose Reyes Of Old

For 11 years, fans in Queens cheered Reyes loudly at his plate appearances, often chanting his name in triplicate.
It was that same sound he heard ringing through the stands at Citi Field Tuesday, an ovation fit for a conquering hero.

But this is not the same player Mets fans fell in love with 15 years ago.

REYES RETURNS HOME

This version  is 33 years old, desperate to recapture the glory he lost with age, injury and relocation, desperate to redeem himself after being suspended 52 games for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy.

New York’s fans are equally desperate to find the player they once knew within this older, higher-mileage and excess baggage edition.

Newsflash Mets fans, you will never find what you’re looking for.

This is not the same guy who hit 17 triples in back-to-back seasons, or 19 in 2008. Nor is it the player who stole 60, 64 and 78 bases in a three-year stretch. And it’s far from the player whom bunted his way to a .337 average and a batting title in 2011.

This Jose Bernabe Reyes is a grizzled veteran looking to fill a role, not a star set to carry a team.

Reyes is striving to become a Carlos Beltran replica: well-beyond his prime, but proves his worth year-in, year-out by producing.

There is no better place for him to start over than where it all began.

JOSE REYES: FIRST TIME AROUND

But this incarnation of the Dominican-born infielder, who the Mets signed two months and five days after his 16th birthday back in 1999, will be watered down to say the least.

Three times he finished with a batting average over .300 while in New York, but he hasn’t reached that benchmark since leaving the team in 2012.

His strikeouts are up and his power is down. His on base percentage, which used to consistently hover around .350, has plummeted toward .300.

Reyes’ best season since departing Queens came in 2013 for Toronto. He batted .296, with a .353 on-base, 10 homers, 37 RBI and 47 strikeouts. That was three years ago, when Reyes was the Blue Jays star shortstop.

Now, he returns to replace the player who helped him rebuild a fledgling franchise.

With David Wright out indefinitely due to back surgery, Reyes returns as a mercenary, hired to plug the hole left vacant by his former running mate.

Which means we won’t see Reyes diving into the hole between short and third to backhand a sharp ground ball, before uncoiling his hose to get the runner at first.

The left side will more closely resemble two Asdrubal Cabrera’s: sure-handed fielders whose range is limited, can hit, but won’t win a batting title and have power but won’t be clubbing 20 and driving in 100.

It’s not the superstar we once knew. The one who could change the outcome of a game in his first at-bat.

MIKE FRANCESA MISSES MARK

It will be bad before it gets good and it will never again be great.

Reyes barely swung a bat during his suspension and his lack of a preseason has shown. He went 0-for-4 in his Mets debut do-over and he was 6-for-34 with Brooklyn and Binghamton before being called up to the Bigs.

The machine won’t be running full-tilt until August most likely, and even then, parts are bound to breakdown.

Reyes had injury issues in his mid-20s, what do you expect from his body in his early-to-mid-30s?

At least two trips to the disabled list for soft-tissue injuries can be anticipated.

Sorry to burst your bubble Mets fans, but this is a different player from the one you once knew. He is not a savior for the franchise, he is no longer a superstar and his image has been forever re-framed.

But here’s the best part, he doesn’t need to be what he once was.

The Mets don’t need a superstar to win the World Series, they need another Asdrubal Cabrera: solid defense and timely hitting with a little pop.

Sure, we will see a few “Reyes runs” hung on the scoreboard, but he doesn’t need to steal 30 bases in the second half to be productive.

If he plays his role, Metropolitans fans will have plenty of reason to say, “Jose, Jose, Jose.”

After an 11-game stint in the minor leagues, Colorado Rockies infielder Jose Reyes is headed home.

Mets To Activate Jose Reyes VS MArlins On Tuesday

Reyes will be activated by the New York Mets for Tuesday night’s home game against the Miami Marlins.

He hit .176 (6-for-34) and exclusively manned third base while playing for short-season Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton. Edgardo Alfonzo tutored him during that stretch.

Reyes is expected to reclaim his No. 7 New York Mets jersey, which Travis d’Arnaud will give up.

Manager Terry Collins reiterated Monday that he intends to bat Reyes leadoff with outfielder Curtis Granderson relocating to the No. 2 slot. The logic is that if Reyes gets on, first basemen will have to hold him because he is a stolen-base threat. And that should open up a hole on the right side of the infield for Granderson, even with teams heavily shifting against him.

Steven Matz (7-3, 3.40 ERA) opposes left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (4-3, 5.11) as the Mets look to up their winning streak to six games.

Reyes, 33, was released by the Rockies and signed with the Mets on June 25.

The Dominican has gotten himself into trouble off the field in recent months, however. He was arrested on October 31 following an altercation with his wife at the Four Seasons Resort Maui in Wailea, Hawaii. Reyes allegedly grabbed his wife, Katherine, by the throat and pushed her into a sliding-glass door in their hotel room. Reyes’ wife declined to cooperate with prosecutors, and a judge in Hawaii formally dropped a domestic abuse charge in April.

Major League Baseball suspended Reyes without pay through May 31 for violating its domestic abuse policy. He forfeited $6.25 million in salary as a result of the suspension.

The Rockies designated Reyes for assignment and released him shortly after the suspension was served.

“I feel like what he did was awful, terrible,” said Mets captain David Wright, a longtime teammate of Reyes’. “There’s just no other way around it. With that being said, in my eyes, he’s done what he could do to earn a second chance. If he’s going to be given a second chance, I think this is a good place for it. I think he’s comfortable here. This is home for him.”

Wright then continued: “I can’t say it enough: What he did is something that is horrible and should never be done. So I hope that he’s learned his lesson. In everything he said, it seems like he’s acknowledged the great mistake that it was and that he’s not going to let it happen again, and I hope that’s correct.”

The Mets originally signed Reyes in 1999 as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, and he was a member of the organization for a dozen years. He last appeared in a game for the Mets on Sept. 28, 2011.  He went on to sign a six-year, $106 million contract as a free agent with the Marlins that December.

The Mets will have to pay Reyes only the MLB minimum salary through the end of the 2017 season, provided they pick up the option. The Rockies will be responsible for roughly $38 million.

New York will pay Reyes only a prorated share of the $507,500 major league minimum this season, or $250,617.

WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 07: Jose Reyes #7 of the Colorado Rockies fields a ground ball during batting practice before a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 7, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

The New York Mets are debating internally whether to bring back Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes, an industry source confirmed.

Mets Considering Reunion With Shortstop Jose Reyes

Newsday’s David Lennon first suggested this could be a possibility on Sunday, and then FOXSports’ Ken Rosenthal confirmed the news. ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin suggests that the team’s thinking has shifted in recent days, as sources had previously suggested there was little chance of a match.

The Mets are desperate for offense right now, and particularly desperate for speed, too. Their total of 13 stolen bases is the lowest in the National League, and second-lowest in the majors– no small matter for a team that rarely scores without hitting home runs.

The team’s slow speed was evident in a crushing 6-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field on Sunday. The Mets also lost both of the previous two games in their three-game home series against the Braves.

So although up until a few days ago the Mets claimed they had no interest in signing Reyes, who was designated for assignment by the Rockies just last week, they are suddenly not completely ruling out the possibility of a reunion.

The 33-year-old Dominican saw his greatest success with the Mets before leaving the organization via free agency before the 2012 season.

According to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, the Mets could have Reyes play third base, although at this point in his career he has exclusively been a middle infielder, and almost entirely a shortstop. In theory, the switch-hitter could share time at the hot corner with Wilmer Flores. Either or both could also move around the infield as needed. Reyes has never played third base in the major leagues. 

Reyes had continued to deliver strong offensive production over the first three years of his contract, but only slashed .274/.310/.378 over 519 plate appearances last year. He has struggled much more defensively, however.

Reyes will only cost the Mets the league minimum, as the Rockies will have to pay him the remainder of the $22 million he’s still owed this season, as well as $22 million next season. He left the Mets after the 2011 season, and subsequently signed a six-year, $106 million contract with the Miami Marlins.

Reyes was also arrested last year after allegations surfaced that he physically assaulted his wife in a hotel room in Hawaii on October 31.

PHOTO: WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 07: Jose Reyes #7 of the Colorado Rockies fields a ground ball during batting practice before a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 7, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

The Colorado Rockies have concluded that Jose Reyes is not a part of the franchise’s future, now Reyes must make a decision: go to the minors or request a release.

Colorado designated Reyes for assignment today, immediately after the Dominican-born shortstop was removed from MLB’s restricted list where he was placed following his suspension for breach of baseball’s domestic violence policy.

JOSE REYES CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Reyes was arrested in Hawaii Oct. 31, 2015, at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, after an altercation with his wife left her with scratches on her neck and injuries to her leg, according to the 911 call released by local law enforcement.

The 33 year-old was apologetic in the aftermath of the incident, but his words fell on deaf ears for many.

“I want to apologize for everything that has happened,” Reyes said through a statement released by the MLB Player’s Union May 13. “I am sorry to the Rockies organization, my teammates, all the fans and most of all my family.”

The Rockies have 10 days to trade, release, or demote Reyes to the minors.

Rookie sensation, and shortstop, Trevor Story has made it easy to forget that Reyes was supposed to be a core player for Colorado in 2016. Through June 14, Story is hitting .265, launched 17 home runs and has 45 runs batted in.

TREVOR STORY’S HOT START

No legal action is pending against Reyes. His wife refused to cooperate with the case after she and her husband reconciled.

Reyes was ordered to stay away from his wife in the three days following the incident, he was released from police custody Nov.1 after posting the $1,000 fee for bail.

According to his contract, via spotrac.com, the Rockies owe Reyes $22 million for 2016, 2017 and 2018, but there is a club option for a $4 million buyout of the contract in 2018.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred expressed confidence that Reyes could be rehabilitated following the announcement of Reyes’ two-month suspension for violating the league’s policy on domestic violence.

“I am encouraged by Mr. Reyes’ commitment to the treatment provisions of the policy in order to ensure that such an incident does not occur in the future,” Manfred said.

Right now, for Reyes, the future in baseball is bleak.

The future of Dominican shortstop Jose Reyes with the Colorado Rockies remains uncertain, even after news broke Wednesday that Maui prosecutors are moving to dismiss a domestic abuse charge against him.

MLB Rumor: Future of Jose Reyes in Colorado Uncertain

A source familiar with the case told ESPN’s Pedro Gomez that simply because the prosecutor’s office won’t press charges does not mean MLB will just drop the case. The source also stated that Reyes’ situation is similar to that of New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, who was not officially charged with domestic abuse but is still serving a 30-game suspension courtesy of the MLB.

Reyes, 32, likely faces a suspension, and he will not be guaranteed a job after he returns. The Rockies plan to test out promising rookie Trevor Story, who had an outstanding spring and was told on Tuesday that he would be the team’s starting shortstop on Opening Day.

The Rockies took on Reyes’ salary last summer as part of a deal that sent Troy Tulowitzki to the Toronto Blue Jays, and shortly afterwards Reyes told reporters, “I’m at the point in my career that I want to win. I say it over and over. I want to win.”

“I don’t want to spend the rest of my career on a last-place team,” Reyes said. “That’s not the kind of player I feel like I am.”

Reyes is still set to earn $56 million through the 2017 season, so finding him a new team would not be easy. No team in the league currently appears to be looking for a shortstop.

When cleared to play, Reyes will likely report to the Rockies’ extended spring training facility.

Caption: SAN FRANCISCO, CA – OCTOBER 4: Shortstop Jose Reyes #7 of the Colorado Rockies catches Jarrett Parker #47 of the San Francisco Giants in a double play against Mac Williamson in the eighth inning at AT&T Park on October 4, 2015 in San Francisco, California, during the final day of the regular season. The Rockies won 7-3. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)