Mets errors nearly cost them a win. Andy Green says that has to stop.

The New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 10-9 on Sunday, which in a 37-53 season is something to hold onto. But it was messy. Real messy. Three errors, a bullpen that nearly handed the game away, and a team that keeps finding ways to make winning harder than it has to be.

Interim manager Andy Green didn’t sugarcoat it. After the game he told reporters the Mets are capable of playing cleaner baseball, and that’s the standard they should hold themselves to. Each guy. The whole group. Not just talking about it but actually doing it.

“Yeah, I certainly think we play cleaner baseball,” Green said via SNY Mets. “It’s talented individuals on the baseball field. We can play cleaner baseball, we should hold ourselves responsible to that, and that’s to each individual man and to us collectively.”

Nolan McLean says he’s satisfied despite a shaky bullpen

Nolan McLean got the start and looked solid enough through his outing. Five strikeouts, two earned runs, five hits allowed. On a normal day that gets you a win and a handshake. But the bullpen, specifically Huascar Brazobán, gave up five earned runs and turned a comfortable lead into a nail-biter.

Still, McLean said he’s satisfied with how he threw the ball.

“Yeah, I mean, I’m satisfied with it. Obviously, we’ll take the wins anytime we can get them,” McLean said. “Obviously, you want to shut guys out every time you go out there, but we’ll definitely take the win.”

And look, the Mets will take any win they can get right now. They’re in last place in the NL East, eight and a half games behind the fourth-place Nationals. The trade rumors are everywhere. The season’s basically a write-off. You could feel the frustration in the stands and probably in the clubhouse too.

But games like this one are a reminder that even when things are going badly, there’s still a way to botch a good outcome with sloppy defense. The Braves aren’t going to give away at-bats. If the Mets want to build anything off this win, they need to clean up the little stuff. The stuff that costs you games you should’ve already locked up.

The series finale against Atlanta is Monday. Another chance to see if Green’s message sticks.