BASEBALL : METS MESS

The big money signings of Bobby Bonilla and Eddie Murray has had little overall impact on a New York Mets’ offense that has been shut out a league-leading 14 times and finally snapped a 30-inning scoreless streak Tuesday.

The Mets, through Thursday, had also gone 54 innings without a stolen base and been out-tripled, 40-6, this year. The critical absence has been that of a spark at the top of the lineup. Vince Coleman has been on the disabled list five times in two seasons with the Mets. He missed 68 of the first 101 games this year, and 158 of his first 263 since his $11.8-million signing with New York.

The Mets have been forced to use 13 center fielders since the 1989 departures of Lenny Dykstra and Mookie Wilson, and Coleman is tired of hearing about it.

“People say we’ve had no real center fielders here since Dykstra and Mookie Wilson, but that’s a cutdown of me and Howard (Johnson),” Coleman said. “Those guys weren’t the best center fielders in baseball. It’s time to forget about them.”

It’s impossible, however, to forget the expectations the Mets carried into the season.

“The frustration is so great it’s hard to focus on the race,” said David Cone, referring to the race in the National League East. Cone has a big lead over Atlanta’s John Smoltz in the league strikeout race and could become the first pitcher since Warren Spahn in 1949-52 to lead the league for three straight years and the first right-hander to do it since Dizzy Dean in 1932-35.