ATLANTA _ Three weeks had passed since general manager Sandy Alderson last accompanied the Mets on a road trip. In that span, they have become unrecognizable.
It wasn't that long ago that the Mets had slipped two games below the .500 mark, and Alderson was answering questions about the status of manager Terry Collins.
But Friday afternoon, Alderson lauded the once-embattled manager for his steady hand through rough waters, then watched the Mets rally for a 6-4 victory over the Braves that encapsulated what has been a season-altering surge.
The Mets roared back from a 4-0 deficit Friday night, capping the comeback with four runs in the eighth when they batted around. Curtis Granderson lined a game-tying RBI single. Kelly Johnson followed with a pinch-hit RBI double against his former club, giving the Mets the lead for good.
Earlier, it was Granderson who triggered the uprising, homering in his fourth straight game. His two-run shot in the sixth ended a 29-inning scoreless streak against the Mets for Braves starter Julio Teheran.
Closer Jeurys Familia got his 48th save, extending his franchise record. The Mets (75-66) are nine games over .500, equaling a season high.
"The team has played well," Alderson said before the Mets extended their winning streak to six.
Winners of 15 of their last 19, the Mets remained one-half game ahead of the Cardinals and in sole possession of the second wild card. They began play one-half game back of the Giants for the first wild card.
Bartolo Colon starts Saturday in place of Seth Lugo, who will be bumped to tomorrow, allowing him an extra day to recover from a blister issue that popped up during his last start.
Like Robert Gsellman, who allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings against the Braves, Lugo has been an unexpected linchpin in a rotation battered by injuries.
Alderson has since adopted a hard line, refusing to discuss the contingent of players who have been sidelined. That group includes second baseman Neil Walker, who the club announced underwent back surgery on Wednesday.
Alderson insisted that doing so was not only counterproductive, but took focus off those who have helped the Mets overcome their health woes.
"The players that have gotten us here are the players that are healthy, the players that have performed," Alderson said. "And it doesn't do the team any good, it doesn't do anybody a service to constantly talk about when, if, how long certain players are going to come back."
Still, the Mets may be getting healthier as they work to clinch the first consecutive playoff appearance in franchise history.
They received encouraging news when Jacob deGrom tested his sore forearm for the first time since he was shelved. He played catch on flat ground a day ahead of Steven Matz, who is scheduled to throw off a mound in Port St. Lucie, Fla., his first bullpen session since being sidelined with a left shoulder impingement.
"I really, truly think that they both might be part of this here real soon," Collins said.
Centerfielder Juan Lagares also is progressing from thumb surgery. And first baseman Lucas Duda will take live batting practice Saturday. They hope that he plays again after missing much of the season with a stress fracture in his back.
