You can’t miss the parallels between the 2015 Mets and 2016 Mets, in the way their seasons have unfolded. As Sandy Alderson said on Tuesday afternoon, “I think our record is the same. How we got to that record is similar. Scarily similar.”

At that juncture, the ’16 Mets were 36-32, just like the ’15 Mets. After sweeping the Royals for some World Series revenge — and appearing to avoid a pair of catastrophic injuries in the process — the ’16 Mets, at 38-32, are two games ahead of their predecessors, who were 36-34.

Here’s what’s stunning to me, though, in lining up one Mets team against the other, something I realized after reading Joel Sherman’s column earlier this week: The 2015 Mets scored 260 runs in their first 70 games. The 2016 Mets have scored 256 runs.

As is occasionally asked on “Saturday Night Live” by Kenan Thompson’s character Diondre Cole: “What’s up with that?”

Just by eyeballing the two clubs, you’d think that these Mets would be scoring more, if not considerably more, than the 2015 team. They have Yoenis Cespedes, who didn’t join the club last year until July 31. They have Neil Walker, who has approximated what the pre-transformed Daniel Murphy gave them, and Asdrubal Cabrera, who has been an upgrade over Wilmer Flores. They had David Wright and his strong on-base percentage for far longer than they had him in the first half last year; James Loney has performed respectably in Lucas Duda’s absence; and for all of Michael Conforto’s struggles, if you think of him as replacing Michael Cuddyer, that’s an upgrade, too.

All right, so there’s your eyeball. Now let’s line up the statistics:

2015 Mets through 70 games: .240/.304/.372

2016 Mets through 70 games: .233/.307/.409

The ’15 Mets got a few more hits, but these Mets get on base a tick better and slug much better. Which means that it must be all about … yup, that’s right.

“It’s been difficult, because we know the reason we’re not scoring runs is simply because we’re not getting hits with runners in scoring position,” Mets hitting coach Kevin Long said Wednesday, before the team’s win.

Check it out:

2015 Mets with runners in scoring position through 70 games: .255/.337/.357

2016 Mets with runners in scoring position through 70 games: .209/.294/.329

Yeesh. These Mets are by far the worst team in the majors when it comes to hitting with runners in scoring position; their 101 runs scored in these situations also ranks last. The next-worst team, the Phillies, are .223/.285/.358 with 106 runs scored.

Part of the problem ties into their homer-heavy offense: Their 565 plate appearances with runners in scoring position are the second-fewest in baseball, more than only the Phillies (549). Yet that wouldn’t matter as much if they were just replicating their RISP production from last year.

I asked Long if he saw a problem with the team’s process with runners in scoring position, or if the results just weren’t happening despite sound process.

“There’s days where like [Tuesday], we hit 15 balls hard,” Long said. “Neil Walker doesn’t have a hit in his last three games, and I think he’s hit eight balls hard. That’s a little frustrating that way. We’ve just got to keep trusting that what we’re doing and how we’re going about our at-bats is right.

“We’re not striking out a ton right now. We’re putting the ball in play.”

The Mets’ 148 strikeouts with runners in scoring position tie them with the Twins for ninth-most, though that number looks worse when you consider how many more opportunities the teams with more Ks have.

So here’s the prescription for the Mets’ offense, in order of importance:

1. Hit better with runners in scoring position.

2. Get more runners in scoring position.

(Thanks to Baseball-Reference.com and the Elias Sports Bureau for all of the data.)

The Hank’s Yanks Golf Classic is Thursday, and even if you can’t make it, you can participate in the auction to raise funds for the great cause.

Let’s catch up on our Pop Quiz questions:

1. From Dianne Rosen of Boca Raton, Fla.: In a 2006 episode of “House M.D.,” Dr. Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) says she would like a foot massage from a Yankees player of that era. Name the player.

2. From Gary Mintz of South Huntington: In the first “Police Academy” movie, released in 1984, Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg) wears an ’80s-era jersey of a former World Series Most Valuable Player. Name the player.

3. From Andy Romanic of Freeport: In 1934, this future Baseball Hall of Famer became the first athlete to appear on a Wheaties box. Name him.

Your Pop Quiz answers:
1. Johnny Damon
2. Darrell Porter
3. Lou Gehrig