Frustrated Collins questions Mets’ effort, passion

NEW YORK — Minutes after the last-place D-Backs handed the Mets their latest defeat, a 9-0 thumping Thursday that sunk them to .500 for the first time since April, manager Terry Collins walked into the Citi Field press conference room. He took one question from a reporter and replied with a three-minute, 14-second rant that questioned the Mets’ effort level, finishing with: “And that’s all I have to say. I’m done.”

But Collins was not done. From there, he marched out of the interview room and into the clubhouse, where the entire 25-man roster was assembled. Collins delivered another speech there, attempting to spin things in a positive light, then listened as veteran players followed with words of their own.

It was a line drawn in the sand with less than eight weeks left in the regular season; the starting line of the Mets’ final stand. Once soaring high in the National League, well in control of a Wild Card spot, the Mets walked off the field Thursday three games out of that race. They trailed four different teams. Defending their NL East title has become an afterthought for a club at serious risk of missing October altogether.

“It’s my responsibility,” Collins said. “I write the lineup every day. I get it. I totally get it. I’m the one who decides who comes in to pitch. You know what? Hey, look, that’s my job. And I’ll stand up and be accountable. That’s what I do. …

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