The days of holding the staff together with baling wire and chewing gum might be in the past. Frankie Montas gave the Mets what they needed Saturday, Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea are on the mend and could rejoin the club in Cincinnati next weekend, and the dream rotation that has not yet taken even a full spin could become a reality within a fortnight.

Baseball life has taken a turn for the better on the Queens side of the Whitestone after a second consecutive bludgeoning of the boys from The Bronx, this time 12-6 on Saturday that represented the Mets’ fourth straight victory after dropping 13 of the preceding 16 games.

Now, with opener Chris Devenski scheduled to take the ball for Sunday’s Subway Series finale before Senga and Manaea are in line for minor league rehab assignments this week, the Mets may not be all that far away from presenting their preferred Senga-Manaea-Montas-Clay Holmes-David Peterson rotation for the very first time.

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Edwin Diaz shut down the Yankees in the ninth inning, only allowing one hit from DJ LeMahieu.

After Saturday, the closer holds a 1.80 ERA and has been used a lot recently by the Mets.

Anthony Volpe did finally find some offensive hope on Saturday, hitting his first home run since June 21.

During the game, Mark Vientos hit a foul tip into Austin Wells' mask.

For several minutes, Wells was attended to by trainers. The staff went through a very thorough checklist before resuming play, such as having the catcher follow a finger in front of his face with his eyes.

Wells ended up staying in the rest of the game.

The Yankees have spent three-plus weeks now being outplayed by their opponents — and beating themselves.

The 1927 Yankees could not overcome multiple foes daily — and the 2025 Yankees have no chance.

Plenty of credit to the Mets for taking the first two games of this Subway Series edition, including 12-6 Saturday. They have had their own pitching crisis and navigated their way through these two games with a bunch of fill-in arms to build a four-game winning streak.

But it sure helps to face a crosstown rival that has mastered the solo homer and little else, especially when the Mets have the counter of two- and three-run homers from Pete Alonso and a tenor-setting first-inning grand slam from Brandon Nimmo off Carlos Rodón — tenor setting in part because the Yankees did so much to blunder to load the bases.

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It's a mixture of things that Aaron Boone has been seeing over the past few weeks.

The Yankees starters haven't pitched well. The bullpen is depleted. The Yankees haven't fielded as well as Boone has liked, but he's noticed the bats start to get going within the past week.

All has led to some frustrations as the Yankees battle a slump and a six-game losing streak.

Like the rest of us, watching Aaron Judge pick up what looked to be equipment off of the infield, Aaron Boone was confused.

Coming off the field in between innings, players typically throw the ball around to one another while they're jogging off.

Anthony Volpe threw to Aaron Judge, but the two-time MVP wasn't paying attention and the ball hit his face and simultaneously broke his sunglasses. Judge was eventually taped up after having a blood face.

At first, Boone was "very concerned," he said after the game.

The Yankees are on a 6-16 stretch over the last 22 games.

Aaron Boon admitted he didn't see a sharp version of his starter on Saturday.

Carlos Rodon had a tough outings against the revived Mets, who got five hits and seven runs on him (six earned) including a grand slam from Brandon Nimmo in the first inning.

Rodon also recorded three walks.

Rodon admitted the same of himself, noting the early walks and Nimmo's swing.

"A lot of misses today and they punished them," he said.