Mets rely on the winning formula of a playoff team

The Mets are still on the wrong side of the playoff round, but are playing very much like a postseason team.

They won a game on Wednesday night – their seventh in a row – with a flood of competence. One pitch. One at-bat. One strong defensive play after another. And great, sensitive management from Carlos Mendoza.

That may not be sexy. But it was certainly effective in the 8-3 win over the Red Sox. And it was certainly effective during that time, when they finished a season-high 12 games over .500, just a half-game behind the Braves for the NL’s final wild-card spot, and, in case you hadn’t noticed, just four games behind the Yankees for the best record in New York.

“Overall, we have done a lot of good things,” Mendoza said.

The Mets got the right pair of Sox at the right time – the white version that struggled all season and the red version that fell apart in the home stretch. The result was consecutive wins over Chicago and Boston.

And that’s necessary. Not long ago, it looked like at least the third wild card would be playing in the 84-86 win range. But it could actually be 90 or more to get in, and so when struggling opponents appear on the schedule, you have to be ruthless in chasing wins.

So it’s time for the best version of the 2024 Mets to be here now, in part because they’re putting out their best defense and their best relief work of the season. With a 4-3 lead, the Mets made double plays to end the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Francisco Lindor, the linchpin of all those double kills, opened the eighth inning with a superb offensive play and throw to catch the speedy Jarren Duran.

With two outs in the eighth inning, Rob Refsnyder hit a ball into the gap in right-center. Harrison Bader was there quickly and fired the ball in, preventing the wide-spinning Refsnyder from reaching second base. When Tyler O’Neill followed with a single, Refsnyder only reached third base but was unable to score. Earlier in the game, Brandon Nimmo twice ran down the left field line to quickly catch balls that easily could have resulted in doubles but instead resulted in singles.

That’s not exactly enticing either. But it was a win. Because the Red Sox are equipped with athletic outfielders who want to run wild — like they did a few times earlier this year when they made the Yankees nervous. So good defense to limit explosiveness is key. That was certainly the case, helping five Mets relief pitchers deliver five scoreless innings. And how Mendoza used the relief pitchers — aggressively and tactically — was part of that Mets win.

On a bad day Thursday, Mendoza didn’t dally after starter Tylor Megill pitched a three-run third inning and then allowed a leadoff hit in the fifth. Mendoza had envisioned this game in advance and wanted to be “very, very aggressive” with his pen. He also knew that since Boston started left-handed, he wanted to be strategic with his two left-handed relievers – Alex Young and Danny Young. And he used Alex to replace Megill.

The aggressiveness paid off: Four set-up men who were not part of the Mets’ opening-game roster – Alex Young, Huascar Brazoban, Danny Young and Phil Maton – defended a 4-3 lead before the Mets ripped the game open in the second half of the eighth inning, giving Edwin Diaz a slight lead.

“It was a complete game,” said Jesse Winker.

Winker was part of that thoroughness. Lindor — amid more chants of “MVP” — extended his hitting streak to 15 games and his on-base streak to 33, the best of his career, with a single to start the first inning, Nimmo walked and Mark Vientos hit a single to load the bases. After Pete Alonso struck out, Winker brought Tanner Houck to the opposite field for a grand slam.

Houck settled down and Boston didn’t allow any more runs until another inning of strong at-bats in the eighth inning against Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen. The Mets managed five walks, three of them with the bases loaded, and Bader also managed a sacrifice fly that ensured the Mets went to 76-64 – one more win than they had all of last season.

And the distance from last year is growing. The fans at Citi Field are infatuated with the first Mets team of David Stearns and Mendoza. A club that is getting better and better and doing what a good team has to do, especially at this time of year, capitalizing on weak competition.

The Mets did it by following up a win in Arizona with two straight victories against Chicago and Boston. They did it with tireless competence. That may not be sexy. But it was still a win.