The problem with not prioritizing the acquisition of a bona fide, ace-caliber starting pitcher?

There’s never one around when you need him.

And the Mets were desperately craving that legitimate No. 1 stopper — a crippling blind spot for Steve Cohen’s $333 million roster — heading into Thursday night’s series finale against Atlanta at Citi Field. Handing the baseball to Kodai Senga raised the possibility they could get that type of performance, but it felt more like a prayer than a prediction, as the Mets just wrapped an entire turn through the rotation without a starter completing as many as five innings.

David Peterson had pitched like the rotation’s rock for most of this season. But watching him crumble at an astonishing clip (six runs, five walks, 3 1/3 innings) in Wednesday’s 11-6 l

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