The circles have been growing under his eyes. The perfectly manicured stubble looks a little grayer. Mickey Callaway is trying to fight the Mets' recent stretch of injuries, devastating loss and just "same old Mets' Metsiness, head on.
But it is taking its toll.
"I haven't slept in a week, or not slept well at least," Callaway said. "We're just trying to get us out of this: What can we do? What can we stress? How can we react today? What conversations can we have with which players to help us continue to try and get out of what's going on?"
Callaway said in his career in baseball he has never been through a stretch like this.
"No. I've been in baseball a long time I don't think seen this in my entire career, this is a stretch that's rare, it seems," Callaway said. "As far as I ... from what I've seen."
The Mets went into Thursday night's game having lost seven of their last 10. The way they have lost has been particularly soul crushing, having been walked off in three of their last five games.
The bullpen has been completely devastated over the last two weeks.
"I think that mindset has maybe kicked in a little bit already, but that's how it is. I think that they are going to learn from this and realize, 'You know what we can bounce back from this.' We've hit rock bottom in the last few days and we have to come out of it," Callaway said. "We're starting to get some players back. (Todd) Frazier is going to be playing in game and is going to be back very soon. So is (Anthony) Swarzak and that's really going to help us."
The Mets have 11 players on the disabled list including their $110-million slugger Yoenis Cespedes, who missed half a season in 2017, Frazier, signed to a two-year deal to lengthen the lineup, and Swarzak, who the Mets signed to a two-year, $14 million deal to give their bullpen depth at the back end.
As of their last report on Friday, Mangameslost.com ranked the Mets having lost the sixth most value from players in the major leagues this season. They are behind the Nationals, Padres, Red Sox, Giants and Braves.
But it's not just injuries that are costing Callaway to lose sleep.
"We have to communicate in the outfield. We have to put the ball in play with runner in scoring position. We have to give ourselves a chance to win when we are on the mound and not walk the leadoff batter," Callaway said. "All those things it's not just giving up a run. When we've blown the leads, we've walked the leadoff batter of the inning. That has been consistent. We can't do that, no matter who you are. I don't care if you are a guy who has 45 days in or 10 years, (you) can't come in and walk guys; you are giving the other guys a chance."
This all may be new to Callaway, but for Mets fans this is a familiar refrain.
Some of it is just incredulously weird _ like the small fire that broke out in the rotunda at Citi Field on Wednesday afternoon. And then some of it is self-inflicted.
Going into this season, the Mets were worried about what they would do with all their pitching. Now with Noah Syndergaard on the disabled list and Matz "day to day," but hopeful to make his next start, the Mets were forced to scramble. They had to send Jason Vargas back out to the mound Wednesday night and pull one of their best relievers, Seth Lugo, out of the bullpen to start on Thursday.
Their current lack of pitching depth is being exposed.
"The pitching has generally been good, even up to this trip, as we got into the long stretch of games, we knew it would be taxed," Mets assistant GM John Ricco said. "We had a few recent injuries that (have) taxed it even further. I think we made 17 roster moves in the last four day. That is going to tax any team's depth."
That's not exactly going to cure Callaway's insomnia.
We're not happy with what's going on. Just because we try to approach it the right way doesn't mean we're accepting it. We're pissed," Callaway said. "But we just don't think that showing that negativity.... is going to help us get out of it."
