Mets fans are actually crying for Scott Schoeneweis. I’m not up on my Bible verse, but I’m pretty sure this exact scenario was foretold as a sign of the coming Apocoplypse.

Aaron, Aaron, Aaron. What are we going to do with you? That’s the question the Mets are asking after his latest disaster of an outing. A few weeks ago I wrote that the Mets need Heilman. The Mets cannot afford to rely on Duaner Sanchez, whose fastball is already sagging into the 87-88 mph range and whose ERA has risen to 5.68 after 12.2 innings of work. Moreover, the organization can’t afford to simply write off a reliever who’s been among the National League’s best over the last two seasons.

All that said, Heilman looks like a broken man. His mechanics are broken, his confidence is broken, and his spirit is broken. Can he be fixed? Sure, but I couldn’t tell you how. John Delcos of the Journal News has a rather radical notion, writing on his LoHud Mets Blog that Heilman needs to chew on some innings, and perhaps a spot start would help him sort out of some his issues. Writes Delcos:

I’ve seen it work before with struggling relievers. Letting him work three or four innings, but give him enough time for his mechanics to slip back into place.

To do this, you know you’ll need to go to the pen, so ideally it would have to be prior to an off-day.

The idea is to give him extended work against quality competition. It is NOT a permanent switch, just a one-time deal.

If you’re thinking that’s sacrificing a game, maybe you’re right. Then again, aren’t they taking the same risk every time he goes out there?

Drastic measures for drastic times, and Heilman is worth the effort.

I can’t see the Mets pursuing this course, however it really isn’t the worst idea in the world. Delcos is right in that the team would certainly be no worse off than they are each and every time they currently throw Heilman out there. Hell, perhaps they’re better off watching the guy hemorrhage runs in the early going rather than the late innings. At least that way the team still has a prayer of mounting a rally.

The one thing I do know is that the Mets don’t need this crap. Their leadoff hitter and sparkplug has not been right for nearly an entire calendar year now. Age at second base and in left field leaves Willie Randolph constantly holding a lineup card absent of his regulars. While their first baseman may be morphing into an adequate No. 7 hitter, that sort of production is not anywhere near good enough for a guy who is a butcher in the field, cannot run the bases, nor add anything else of value without his power stroke of old. First base is traditionally a spot where you hide a less-than-athletic slugger, but if I’m batting my first baseman 7th, I’d just as soon have Doug Mientkiewicz in there. He’d save just as many runs with his glove as Carlos Delgado has contributed with his bat this season.

The point is that the Mets really do not need this Heilman headache right now. It’s beginning to reek of Murphy’s Law in Flushing, Queens, and that can’t be good for anyone’s job status.