CHICAGO — It’s getting late early for these defeat-a-day Mets. The shocking 11th straight loss for baseball’s second-highest-paid team moved them close to something akin to a final stage of grief.

There are still 140 games to go. But yep, it’s already defend-the-manager time.

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Don’t miss Mike Puma’s text messages from Queens and beyond — he’s giving Sports+ subscribers the inside buzz on the Mets.

That’s not something anyone thought would be necessary for this star-studded club, certainly not yet. But here we are.

Realistically, the uber-popular (in the clubhouse, anyway) Carlos Mendoza may need some help soon. With plenty of April left, the Mets aren’t all that far from playing their way out of it.