NEW YORK — Fans of the Mets might joke that the team affects their mental health — poorly, at that — and watching the mental mistakes the team has been making on the field probably doesn’t help. Your mental health should not be solely dependent on the wins and whims of a baseball team, or any sports team, for that matter, but with that said, the mental mistakes are compounding, and it’s become difficult to ignore them.

Ron Darling couldn’t ignore them Tuesday night when left-hander David Peterson failed to back up a play at the plate. Tyler Stephenson drove a double to the left-field corner, and MJ Melendez tried to cut down JJ Bleday, the runner at first. Melendez hit the cutoff man, Bo Bichette, right as Bleday rounded third, but the shortstop’s throw was wild. It went past the plate as Bleday scored, and Stephenson went to third base.

“I just didn’t do my job,” Peterson said. “I didn’t get to my spot, and that’s all there is to it.”

But that wasn’t all there was to it.

Darling was critical of manager Carlos Mendoza and his coaching staff on the SNY broadcast.

“It really tells me that coaches really don’t have as much influence as the players as they think they have because someone should rip someone at some point,” the former Mets great said. “But they don’t because they don’t want to upset anyone. You have to back up bases every single time.”

Darling, a pitcher on the 1986 Mets World Series team, has been outspoken about the Mets and their processes and shortcomings in the past. In 2-17, he brought up the training staff on the broadcast after the pitching staff was hit hard by injuries. He does have a point: Teams have veered toward positivity so sharply over the last decade that it could be perceived as toxic.

The Mets often cite the need to stay positive and continue to believe in themselves. After bad losses, they say they’ll show up to the ballpark the next day with a positive mindset. To their credit, they often do. Bad losses don’t necessarily lead to bad attitudes in the days after.

But the insistence on staying optimistic comes off hollow. Fans hear that and assume the players are coddled, that their fragile egos must not be damaged by the reality of the numbers on a box score and what it means in the standings.

The Mets know where they are in the standings — last in the NL East. Darling’s tough talk could land with them, but not if the precedent has already been set. Players now aren’t the same as they were in the 1980s when Darling played, or even in the 1990s and early 2000s when coaches were expected to yell.

Mendoza could be yelling behind the scenes. The embattled third-year skipper has chosen to keep disciplinary conversations internal, though he has always been honest when asked if he has addressed certain issues.

When slow-footed Mark Vientos blew past a stop sign at third base earlier this season, trying to run home on “instinct,” Mendoza didn’t condone the move. He handled it in a way that still protected Vientos publicly, saying they impressed on Vientos that he can’t just ignore the coaches’ signs based on “instincts.”

Mendoza handled Peterson’s mistake the same way.

“The way we hold people accountable, it doesn’t necessarily have to be in front of the camera,” Mendoza said Wednesday ahead of the series finale against the Reds. “As far as the messaging [being] received, there’s not a concern there.”

Some candor would go a long way with the Mets right now. Letting fans into their process of how they hold players accountable, or even giving fans some insight into what kind of work they’re doing to try to right the ship. Mendoza might insist that the message isn’t stale with his clubhouse, but the team’s message sure is stale for the fans.

As the mental mistakes continue to pile up, the morale around Flushing sinks lower.

Mets 4, Reds 2

In his first appearance since giving up a walk-off grand slam, closer Devin Williams made things interesting by walking the first two hitters he faced Wednesday night, then walking the bases loaded with one out. Williams dialed up three big strikeouts when he needed them the most to convert the save (eight), and help the Mets end their losing streak at five games.

Juan Soto hit his sixth home run in his last seven games and his 12th of the season, taking left-hander Andrew Abbott (4-3) deep in the first inning, starting the Mets off on the right note. Eric Wagaman, called up Tuesday from Triple-A Syracuse to give the Mets another right-handed bat, hit his first of the season in the second inning. Carson Benge went 2 for 2 with two RBIs, impressing in his at-bats.

Right-hander Huascar Brazobán once again worked as an opener, going in front of rookie righty Jonah Tong. In his second outing as the bulk reliever this season, Tong struggled with his command, walking four hitters, but he was able to limit the damage. Tong allowed only one unearned run on three hits and struck out one over 3 2/3 innings for his first big league win of the season (1-0).

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