With Bay's Struggles Come Tough Decisions About Playing Time PETERSBURG, Fla. - When Jason Bay returned to the Mets on June 6 after a lengthy stint on the disabled list, he accepted that it would take him some time to become acclimated to the speed of the game. Although he feels caught up now, the desired results have not followed. "I feel like I've gotten to that point now, where I don't feel like I'm behind the speed anymore at all," Bay said. But I am missing balls. Bay, who was batting fifth in the Mets" lineup for their game Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays, started the day mired in an 0-for-16 slump that began the day he was activated. Manager Terry Collins said Wednesday that he would continue to use Bay to try to get him going. "I think he's close," Collins said of Bay. I've got to get him there, so that we can get back on track. But Collins acknowledged, too, that once the Mets return from Florida, where they have enjoyed the luxury of the designated hitter spot in the lineup, he will have some decisions to make about playing time. The Mets are scheduled to face three straight right-handers during their series against the Cincinnati Reds, and Collins said Wednesday that Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Lucas Duda would probably play all three games, leaving Bay to battle for time with Scott Hairston and Andres Torres. Previously, Ike Davis seemed to be a candidate to be bumped from the lineup, with Duda perhaps moving into his spot at first base. But Davis has appeared in the last few games to be in something of a slow ascent. He raised his average to .174 Tuesday night with two hits, including a long home run. Collins kept Davis in the lineup Wednesday against David Price, a left-hander. Bay, meanwhile, is sinking to a new depth. His hitless performance Tuesday sent his average to .182. Counter to Bay's self-assessment, Collins said it looked as if Bay was still a half-step behind the game. He suggested Bay's current struggles could be rooted in the relative lack of at-bats he had during his rehabilitation. Bay said that he gained all he could from his minor league rehabilitation games. "You can get as many at-bats in extending spring training, A-ball, Triple-A, whatever, as you want, but ultimately it's not the same," Bay said. He agreed though that the period of inactivity on the disabled list had derailed him somewhat, as far as having a grasp on the condition of his swing. "It's not an excuse, but when you miss six weeks and then come back, it's kind of hard to start pinpointing specific problems after just a few days," Bay said. There's nothing I feel like I'm not doing. It's just missing, basically. And Bay said he was up to speed, though he knew his numbers seemed to suggest otherwise. "It's a results business," Bay said. You can talk about how good it feels to almost do this or that, but ultimately it's about getting it done. Right now, I'm not. Collins Named to All-Star Staff Terry Collins was officially named to the coaching staff of the National League All-Star team, which will be managed by Tony La Russa. Collins last participated in an All-Star Game in 1995 when he was a member of Felipe Alou's National League coaching staff. La Russa first approached Collins during spring training about joining his group - which will include Ron Roenicke of the Milwaukee Brewers, along with the staff from the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals. "It's an honor to be asked and certainly it's a thrill to be associated with the game itself," Collins said. I told Tony I was shocked. La Russa and Collins have never worked together at any level, but they became friends several years ago through the game. La Russa called Collins the morning after Johan Santana's no-hitter to voice support for his decision to leave Santana in the game well beyond his pitch count. La Russa said he watched the game on television and managed along in his head. "All of a sudden, you had what was really clearly a terrific dilemma," La Russa said. When he got the last out, when you looked at his face, he was the only guy in the ballpark that was not cheering and celebrating, and I knew it was because he had doubts about pushing it.