The ditch the Mets spent so much of April and May digging is gone.
The same club that was 11 games under .500 as recently as June 2 became a would-be playoff team on July 11.
With a 7-0 win over the Nationals to complete a sweep on Thursday in front of 25,710 at Citi Field, Carlos Mendoza’s group moved percentage points above the Padres for the third NL wild-card spot, a charge to the postseason picture impressive not just because of the depths they had fallen to but because of the speed by which those depths were erased.
The Mets (47-45) would be part of the postseason if the season ended today — which means little of course, particularly because the outside-looking-in Padres (49-47) are percentage points behind through a games-played discrepancy.
But the Mets trading their shovels for bats and hitting their way back into contention sure helps their confidence and certainly delivers a message to a front office that is under three weeks away from a trade-deadline decision. They have won five of six. Dating back to rock bottom on May 29, when they were blown away by the Dodgers, Jorge Lopez tossed his glove into the stands and Francisco Lindor called a players-only meeting, they are 25-12. In that span, they have averaged a majors-best 5.9 runs per game. In the Mets’ first 55 contests, they averaged 4.1 runs per game.
Again on Thursday, they looked like a club that deserves to pivot into buyers.
David Peterson tossed six strong, scoreless innings, becoming the third starter to tally a quality start in the series against Washington. Peterson, Jose Quintana and Luis Severino combined for 20 ¹/₃ innings in the series in which they allowed two total runs (both by Severino).
Peterson’s excellence allowed his offense time to crack through, which it eventually did against lefty MacKenzie Gore. The Mets’ attack didn’t get its first hit until J.D. Martinez lined a one-out double in the fourth. He was stranded.
The Mets did not waste their base runners in the game-changing, five-run fifth.
Luis Torrens got the frame started with a gapped double to left-center. After Harrison Bader and Tyrone Taylor were retired, a two-out rally was hatched.
Jeff McNeil and Lindor worked walks to load the bases for the exact batter the Mets wanted at the plate. Since notably not being voted into the All-Star Game on Sunday, Brandon Nimmo might have morphed into the best hitter in the game.
Nimmo got a second-pitch, middle-of-the-plate fastball and didn’t miss, sending a bases-clearing double that one-hopped the wall in left-center. In four games since the snub, Nimmo has gone 5-for-16 with three home runs, a double and nine RBIs.
The fourth run of the inning came when J.D. Martinez followed with a sharp single to left field. Nimmo was still a step or two away from third base when the ball reached left fielder James Wood, but he tested Wood’s arm and dove headfirst safely. Pete Alonso ripped a hit down the third-base line to drive in Martinez for the fifth run. The Mets added two more in the eighth inning, when Mark Vientos and Bader came through with RBI singles.
That would prove to be plenty of support for Peterson, who settled down after two shaky frames. He got in particular trouble in the second, when a double and infield single put runners on the corners without an out, but Peterson responded by striking out Trey Lipscomb, Jacob Young and CJ Abrams in succession.
Phil Maton — who struck out two in a perfect frame in his club debut — Danny Young, Dedniel Nunez and Adam Ottavino — who loaded the bases before striking out Wood and Jesse Winker to end it — combined to throw three scoreless innings.
The bullpen appears to have settled down — and could use another addition or two for a team that is firmly in the playoff chase.