LIVIN’ ON A PAIR

Now it’s Jake’s turn

energy that the 7-Line and all the Mets fans bring. It just kind of propels me to do a better job at my job.”

The Mets only need Syndergaard to be healthy and himself this season.

Last year, Syndergaard going down with a torn lat muscle at the end of April was the death knell for the Mets. They suffered a rash of injuries — only deGrom among the starters did not go on the disabled list at some point and Yoenis Cespedes missed half the season — but it really started with Syndergaard. The picture of him walking off the mound holding his side in the second inning of an embarrassing loss to the Nationals was the Mets’ 2017 season in a nutshell.

But Syndergaard is back now and feeling comfortable with the clean slate of 2018.

The Mets made changes over the offseason, bringing in Callaway and pitching coach Dave Eiland to right the ship of a team built around pitching. The fresh start seems to be what some in the Mets clubhouse needed.

“We go out there and we’re having a lot of fun, from the moment we got to Port St. Lucie, the energy and atmosphere of the clubhouse has been amazing,” Syndergaard said. “The acquisition of veterans Adrian Gonzalez, Todd Frazier and Swarzak have been amazing those kind of veteran guys, bring a lot of veteran leadership to the clubhouse.”

But for the Mets, everyone knows it will come down to pitching more than veteran experience in the clubhouse.

“They are very different. They have different stuff. They both have good stuff and are bulldogs on the mound, but they are different,” Mets slugger Jay Bruce said. “But they are what you want, they are what you see on a lot of successful or winning teams: a good one-two punch.” nd the Mets winning and success this season will all depend on how Syndergaard and deGrom carry them.

AANDREW SAVULICH/DAILY NEWS