NEW YORK � It was one small step in the standings, one giant leap for the Mets.
In sweeping a doubleheader on Monday, the Mets moved over .500 for the first time in more than three months and continued their trek up the standings.
Pete Alonso picked up the go-ahead home run and a curtain call in the finale as New York came back for a 5-4 win over Miami. J.D. Davis, Michael Conforto and Alonso all went deep in an eighth inning that electrified the crowd at Citi Field.
The matinee was much quieter, but the result was the same for the Mets in 6-2 win over the Marlins. Jacob deGrom dominated on the mound and at the plate with two RBI in the matinee, while Jeff McNeil homered for the third straight game.
This is not the endgoal for manager Mickey Callaway, but it's a benchmark he's spoken about for the last few weeks. It looked like a dream when New York dropped to 40-51, but it's a reality now after the team's 11th win in 12 games.
"It means a lot," Callaway said. "These guys have stayed focus. They know they can do something special. We're going to continue to strive to do that."
It's amazing that the Mets (57-56) briefly moved to 2.0 games out of a Wild Card spot considering that their season was on life support not long ago. They are suddenly the hottest team in baseball with four straight series wins and a 17-6 record since the All-Star break. Getting a winning record for the first time since May 2 shows that they should be taken seriously.
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And yet, the job is still far from over.
"It's definitely another step up," deGrom said. "But we still have to win baseball games to get back into the Wild Card. We still have work to do. I think everybody in there knows that."
The Mets rotation has sparked the turnaround with a 2.76 ERA in the second half.
DeGrom has picked up his game since the break, but he's not alone. So too have Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler and Steven Matz.
There's a friendly competition going where each starter tries to do better than the next. No one wants to be the weakest link.
"I don't think guys including myself are really happy with how our first half went," deGrom said. "Especially the starters. I think it's just trusting the stuff and going after hitters. Every guy is going out there every fifth day and doing a good job."
DeGrom certainly did his part with seven efficient innings, giving up two earned runs and striking out eight on only 94 pitches. He moved into second place on the National League strikeout list with 182, behind only Washington's Max Scherzer.
"When he settled in, he was the same old Jake that we've always seen," Callaway said. "To pitch that deep into the game in the first game of a doubleheader and get us a win is big."
deGrom looked vulnerable early in the game. He put the leadoff man on in the first three innings. He allowed hard contact to one of the league's worst offenses. But the Marlins let their chances slip away and watched deGrom get back on track. The reigning Cy Young winner retired nine straight, en route to his seventh win of the season.
"We know we are far from our goal," Callaway said. "We need to continue to climb and climb and climb and scratch and claw. I have a feeling these guys are going to do that."
Amed Rosario hit a solo home run, while Alonso and Davis drove in a run apiece to start the homestand. But it was McNeil who set the tone by jumping all over Miami starter Robert Dugger to lead off the home half of the first inning. The rookie never stood a chance when he took the mound at Citi Field for his major league debut.
One pitch. One swing. One run.
"We encourage (McNeil) to be who he is and that's who he is," Callaway said. "He's going to swing early and often and we encourage him to do it because he hits about .700 when he does it."
In the second game, Mets starter Walker Lockett lasted just 4 2/3 innings, giving up four earned runs on eight hits.
