ARLINGTON, Texas — Now everyone is joining in the fun and turning this into a full-blown Mets party.
On Monday, a lineup that has shown steady improvement over the last month put on a ferocious display against a different opponent for the second straight day, further cementing the impression that this recent turnaround is genuine.
It’s not just J.D. Martinez, we also have Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso.
Nearly everyone contributed to the Mets’ 14-2 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Field.
The Mets have won six straight games, tying a season record, and have now won for the 10th time in their last 12 games.
They’re still three games below .500, but it doesn’t look like it.
Monday’s blowout win followed an impressive run against the Padres on Sunday, when the Mets scored seven runs early and added four more late to record their third straight win, racking up 14 hits along the way.
Over their last 16 games, the Mets have outscored their opponents 100-69.
Lindor led this latest offense with 4 hits and 2 RBIs in 4 at-bats on a night when the Mets racked up a season-high 22 hits.
Nimmo had 3 hits in 4 at-bats, one home run and 4 RBIs, while Alonso had 3 hits in 5 at-bats and 2 RBIs.
David Peterson (3-0) pitched solidly for the Mets, who blew a seven-run lead into the second inning.
The left-hander pitched six innings, striking out six, walking three, allowing four hits and two earned runs.
Alonso hit the Mets’ third single in the first inning, scoring the first run of the game.
Lindor and Martinez each singled first, with Martinez’s single extending his consecutive on-base streak to 11 at-bats.
That streak ended in Martinez’s next at-bat when he hit a ball to center field that was caught by Leody Taveras at the fence.
The Mets sent nine batters to bat against Jon Gray in the second inning, scoring six runs to take a 7-0 lead (a rare touchdown advantage for a New York team in Arlington).
DJ Stewart’s three-run homer was the biggest hit of the inning, but Nimmo and Alonso each had one RBI singles as the Mets racked up six hits in the inning.
Stewart’s home run was a welcome contribution; he had been 1-for-27 on the night. The left-handed slugger had not homered since April 30.
Peterson walked Marcus Semien in the third inning and then gave up a two-run homer to Robbie Grossman to put the Rangers within 7-2.
The home run was just the second Peterson has allowed in four starts this season.
Nimmo hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning to push the Mets’ lead back down a touchdown.
For Nimmo, who had been in poor form up until then, this was his fourth consecutive game with multiple hits.
Lindor hit an RBI double in the fifth inning to extend the Mets’ lead to 10-2.
Francisco Alvarez singled in the inning and Jeff McNeil walked, after which Lindor scored, and Nimmo singled for his fourth RBI of the game.
In the sixth inning, Alvarez hit a one-run single to extend the lead to 12-2. Stewart and Mark Vientos each singled to start the rally.
Tyrone Taylor was the only member of the Mets’ starting lineup who failed to get a hit.
With the outcome no longer in doubt, manager Carlos Mendoza began making changes to the starting pitchers in the seventh inning: Lindor, Nimmo and Martinez were removed from the game, and José Iglesias, Harrison Bader and Luis Torrens were brought into the lineup in their place.
Alvarez’s third hit of the game, a one-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning, gave the Mets a 13-2 lead. The Mets scored their final run on a fielder’s choice single by McNeil.
