Jay Bruce wants this Mets audition to mean something

Jay BruceBOSTON — Even as the ball explodes off his bat with more frequency, Jay Bruce just wants this season to end.

The Mets aren’t playing for the postseason, and Bruce — despite five homers and 14 RBIs in 18 games since returning from the disabled list, entering Saturday — probably isn’t going to dramatically alter the back of his baseball card for 2018 at this point.

When his home run total was mentioned before the Mets faced the Red Sox at Fenway Park, the veteran outfielder/first baseman was blunt.

“Eight, already,” he said. “On September 15.”

But eight was just three when Bruce returned from the DL on Aug. 24, after missing two months with a strained muscle in his right hip. Along the…