Amazin’s can’t backtrack on pitching strides

PITTSBURGH — Little things mean a lot in pitching.

That’s the word from Mets pitching coach Phil Regan. One key adjustment that has helped starters Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler do better has been to close off their front foot, so their arm stays more in line with home plate and they don’t fly open.

“I have a tendency to fly open,’’ Wheeler told The Post on Friday night before the Mets and Steven Matz ran out of pitching luck and took it on the chin, losing 8-4 to the Pirates at PNC Park to end their seven-game winning streak. “By making that adjustment it has helped me.”

An hour earlier, Syndergaard was diligently working on his form in right field, keeping that front foot closed.

Considering the hole the Mets have dug for themselves, Syndergaard, Wheeler and Jacob deGrom are going to have to be pretty near perfect the rest of the way.

“It’s all about balance,’’ Regan told The Post. “Whether you are hitting a baseball, hitting a golf ball or shooting a basketball. You’ve got to have balance and just get them in a position where they feel comfortable with throwing the ball.

“Wheeler does it, same thing with Syndergaard,’’ Regan explained. “He was opening up a little bit here, and out, he has better timing now.’’

The 82-year-old Regan then demonstrated the move.

“We just got him to here, a more direct line,” he said. “The same drive and the same load.’’

The Post asked Regan when he first really understood such a little thing. “I’m 82,’’ he said with a laugh. “I tell you where it goes back to,’’ he noted, pointing to his days coaching baseball and teaching at Grand Valley State University in his home state of Michigan. He had to teach a Baseball

101 course after his major league career had come to an end. The first six years of his career, The Vulture pitched for the Tigers.

“It goes back to when I got out of baseball. I was 35 years old,’’ Regan recalled. “I went into college and I thought I knew a lot about pitching and things because you’ve been in the big leagues for 13 years. I had to teach a class. I had 45 lesson plans I had to have in college to teach. So I started studying some things, and I got a lot of films from Detroit. They sent me films for the class and I began to form my ideas when you put them down.’’

“Of those 45 lesson plans, I probably had 12 on pitching,’’ Regan said.

This was in 1973, two years before current Mets manager Mickey Callaway was born.

Essentially, Regan was using video way back then to learn the finer details of pitching.

“It’s all the little things,’’ noted Regan, who was named pitching coach by general manager Brodie Van Wagenen on June 20, replacing Dave Eiland. “You think it’s a big arm change or something, but it’s all little things.’’

Part of their recent success may be attributable to the soft schedule. The real test will come soon, against the Nationals and Braves.

Before Matz suffered through a fiverun fourth inning Friday, Mets starters had allowed three or fewer earned runs in 17 straight games.

Matz tends to have blow-up innings and that is what happened as the Mets’ record dropped to 53-56. The Mets can’t even entertain crazy wild-card thoughts until they get over .500.

Marcus Stroman will make his Mets debut Saturday night. Callaway talked about starting a new streak following Friday night’s dud. To do that and make a run, the Mets will have to get exceptional starting pitching.

“I think last year we started to hit our stride as a starting staff in the second half as well,’’ Callaway said. “So I think we prepared these guys the right way. All the staffs I have been around in the past in Cleveland, they always clicked in the second half because I think they prepared the right way.’’

In their most recent outings, Syndergaard and Wheeler both did not allow an earned run. Syndergaard went 7 ¹ /3 innings. Wheeler was magnificent through seven.

Will the little things continue to work for Syndergaard and Wheeler and will it be enough?