Today the Mets have an off day and recently those are the days Ike Davis must look forward to the most. When he’s on the field, everything that can go wrong is going wrong for him. Terry Collins has moved him all over the batting order but nothing has clicked. Davis is hitting .147 this season and there’s no signs of him turning it around.

In Ike’s last 11 games he has a comical .026 AVG (1-for-38) and he’s got a .095 AVG with runners in scoring position this season. This was the team’s opening day clean up hitter by the way. He looks lost at the plate and he’s clearly pressing now – looking visibly frustrated after every at bat. Not to mention the chorus of boos that reigns from the half full Citi Field every time he makes out.

Davis had a similar slow start last year but he straightened things out and eventually ended up with 32 HR. Last year’s turnaround has saved him a trip to the minors up to this point but he is under the microscope right now and that’s not helping his performance. It’s got to be hard to perform when everyone is watching your every move, but that’s part of being a professional athlete.

Yesterday, the one part of Ike’s game that wasn’t up in flames – his defense – failed him. He made a poor decision on a ball hit down the first base line, letting it roll past him thinking it was foul. The ball was fair and the go-ahead run came into break a tie game in the 9th inning. You can imagine what Twitter had to say about Davis”s mistake.

Ike knows that he needs to turn it around quickly but these early struggles for the 2nd straight year will be the ultimate test. He’s got to keep plugging away and get out of his own head. Easier said than done but he knows of capable of being a good hitter and until he stops thinking out there, he’s going to be mired in this slump.

A trip to Triple-A might not be that bad of a thing. It would be a chance to get out of the spotlight and straighten out his swing. But as long as he’s up with the big club, he’s got to take it one pitch at a time and celebrate the small victories. His next hit will probably be met with sarcastic cheers but I hope he celebrates it enthusiastically and builds off it.

If he can work through his dismal start for the 2nd straight season and get back to the hitter we know he can be, then that’s someone that I’m proud to have on my team. The Mets aren’t going anywhere this season. I want a resilient Davis to compliment the captain for the next couple of seasons. There’s no reason that the Mets can’t have the best corner infield combo in the NL by this time next year. Ike’s just got to prove he work through this slump and get back to being the hitter that everyone was so excited about before he got hurt 2 years ago.