MILWAUKEE – The Mets are losing important games here, but at least they’re gathering useful information.

The most obvious insight they’ve gleaned so far is this: If they’re lucky enough to qualify for the playoffs – and yes, even though they haven’t won a single time on this trip, they’re still very much alive – it’s on best to avoid the Brewers.

Baseball’s plucky little team from arguably its smallest market (along with Cincinnati) continues to torment the Mets. Even if the Brewers – who are already set to host a Wild Card Series – are playing just for fun and laughs, the Mets can’t hurt them.

Milwaukee handed the Mets their second loss in two nights and their third in a road trip in which the only highlight remains the escape from Atlanta just before Hurricane Helene hit – not that that’s a small thing. There really wasn’t much to see beyond that.

Mets owner Steve Cohen, who attended the game here Friday and plans to return for Sunday’s finale, flew to New York on Saturday for the 50th reunion of his graduating class at Great Neck North High. He made the right decision.

The Mets scored just two goals against a collection of little-known but well-armed Brewers hurlers in a 6-0 road win. But somehow the team from Queens still has its fate under control in a race that seems less impressive because of the loss. Apparently the more they lose, the better it gets. Apparently this is the new Mets math.

Honestly, they can thank the Diamondbacks for their undeserved luck. The Mets have the crucial tiebreaker against Arizona, which also appears to be a daily loss.

“We just have to get better…Today our performance wasn’t good enough,” said Pete Alonso. “Luckily we have tomorrow and we still have two days in Atlanta.” (As hard as it is to believe, they could potentially clinch a playoff spot on Sunday and if that happens, they wouldn’t even have to travel south. )

If the Mets don’t get it done, they’ll only have themselves to blame. The Brewers ran a bullpen game on Saturday, and while that sounds like a potential plus for the Mets, they have one of the most dynamic pens in the NL (perhaps almost as good as the Padres, the other team the Mets play could if they come in). ).

Due to the weather disaster and the two rainouts, the Mets don’t yet know how many games they still have to play. A lucky and stunning Mets win and a D’Backs loss on Sunday punch New York’s ticket to October.

But to be fair, the Mets’ problems at this point outnumber those of the remaining games – whether that’s one, two or three more games. We will not list all the keys to the goal here. But we will say this: They need their big names to beat as best they can.

Mark Vientos and Jose Iglesias, both minor leaguers early in the season, are consistently their most productive hitters after MVP candidate Francisco Lindor. Good for you. But it shouldn’t be like that.

The Mets offense is now on its head. While Vientos and Iglesias play the lead roles, the big names and earners have to earn a living. Alonso and Brandon Nimmo are having a mediocre season statistically, and JD Martinez’s numbers are even worse.

The three biggest and highest-paid stars in particular have to start doing the hard work. (We apologize to Martinez for this short list, as he is ranked #0 in his last 35 games and is unlikely to make the lineup any time soon.)

3 Nimmo may be the unluckiest hitter in baseball. He does a few crucial things (he’s fourth in the Netherlands in terms of win probability), but he always meets them where they are. He said he “likes where he is,” but he usually hasn’t had much luck at 0-4.

2. Francisco Lindor has been their MVP all year, and now they need him the most.

He missed almost two weeks due to a back injury, but is now playing again. He’s very tough, but says it’s uncomfortable to bend over, so he did DH on Saturday. In his new role, he went 0-4 with two strikeouts.

Even Lindor is still a threat at three-quarter speed. The MVP is out now as Shohei Ohtani has shown he’s superhuman, but Lindor can carry them even if he’s not at full strength.

1. With 34 home runs, Alonso is among the leaders in the Netherlands, but by his previous standards his platform year is undoubtedly below his norm. He is also looking for a special moment.

Now might be a good time, Pete.

The Mets are still in a better position than Arizona, so believe it or not, their odds remain better than 50-50. But they need to win at least one game – be it here on Sunday or in Atlanta.

“We have to find a way,” said manager Carlos Mendoza.

If they don’t punch their playoff ticket on Sunday, they’ll have to do it the hard way, via an unwanted, unpleasant trip to Atlanta on Monday. This team hasn’t made it easy all year, but they have the talent to do it – even in their least favorite spot.