Mets offense explodes with 11-run outburst to complete sweep of Padres

If hitting is truly contagious, the rest of the Mets lineup has caught whatever their DH has been spreading.J.D.Martinez’s bat remains sizzling, but he was merely one contributor in an 11-6 drubbing of the Padres to finish off a sweep at Citi Field in front of 31,054 on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.The Mets (33-37) have won five straight, six of their past seven, nine of their past 11 games and just took three in a row against another NL wild-card contender.Carlos Mendoza’s group could withstand an eighth-inning bullpen implosion because the offense exploded.

The Mets knocked 14 hits total and scored seven times in the first four innings, building a sizable lead that they would need because of a shaky relief corps.A key Drew Smith strikeout in the eighth allowed them to take a breath, and the Mets ran away for a second time with a four-run bottom of the eighth to put the contest away.The same club that was 11 games under .500 just two weeks ago and that has tried to fend off look-aheads toward the trade deadline is just two games out of a wild-card spot.“I’m not looking at the standings,” Mendoza said before the Father’s Day smacking of the Padres (37-38).“Obviously, I know we got to continue to play better.

… We’re going to be right there until the end.“There’s a good feeling right now in that clubhouse.”There isn’t a batter who feels better than Martinez, who went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks and extended his on-base streak to 10 straight plate appearances before striking out in the eighth.The late-spring signing has been everything the Mets could have wanted, both in the batter’s box and clubhouse.But the good feeling has grown infectious.The Mets’ offense wasted no time in jumping on San Diego pitching.

Francisco Lindor led off the first with a game-tying home run to continue his own upswing.After Lindor’s crack, Brandon Nimmo singled before Martinez worked a walk.Facing San Diego ace Dylan Cease, Pete Alonso blasted a first-p...