The Mets came back home Friday, where they keep on winning.
They belted four homers in a 7-2 victory over the Cubs in front of 41,243 at Citi Field to open up a stretch of 15 of 21 games at home.
Most of those likely won’t result in a win as convincing as this one, as the Mets pounded right-hander Jameson Taillon — and got another strong outing from Clay Holmes — and improved to 14-3 in Queens.
Holmes allowed just one run over six innings to lower his ERA to 2.74 through eight starts.
And on Friday, he was aided by an offense that crushed Taillon for six runs — five earned — in just four innings.
“It was one of those days where we hit the ball and the ball went out,” said Francisco Lindor, who started it with his fourth leadoff homer of the season. “Sometimes we hit the ball here in this field and it doesn’t go out or goes right at people. Today, it was on our side.”
It was one of a dozen two-strike hits by the Mets, as was Brett Baty’s opposite-field homer, his second of the season, and first since being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday, to open the second.
Two batters later, another lefty hitter, Jeff McNeil hit his second home run of the year to make it 3-0.
The Mets were also gifted two runs when Chicago shortstop Dansby Swanson’s throwing error allowed Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Alvarez to score in the third.
The Cubs got on the board in the fourth with Kyle Tucker’s 10th homer of the season. It was the first time Holmes had allowed a home run this year.
But Juan Soto got the run back with a mammoth shot to right-center that hit the Shea Bridge, as he continued his recent hot streak with a homer that measured an estimated 434 feet.
“When no one in the stadium moves, you know he got it,” Lindor said of the blast.
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It was Soto’s third homer in his last two games and eighth for the season.
Before the game, Carlos Mendoza pointed to Soto “maybe not hitting as many balls on the ground as earlier” as one of the reasons his numbers have begun to return to normal.
He’s 11-for-30 with seven extra-base hits (two doubles and five homers) with seven walks in his last 38 plate appearances.
“We knew at some point it was gonna turn around,” Mendoza said. “He’s using the whole field and getting the ball off the ground a little more.”
Taillon hadn’t given up a homer to a left-handed hitter in any of his seven previous starts this season, but Mendoza said he wanted to load the lineup with lefties to face the former Yankee.
The thought process resulted in Mark Vientos sitting for a second straight game to allow McNeil to DH after he left Wednesday’s game with a hamstring cramp, with Baty at third in consecutive games.
The moves paid off as the Mets have won two in a row since losing five of seven in one of the few rough patches they’ve hit this season.
Mendoza noted Taillon hadn’t fared well against lefties in previous seasons.
“I’m glad it worked out,” the manager said.
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The same is true for Holmes’ transition to the rotation. He barely broke a sweat in throwing a season-high 93 pitches.
He was encouraged by the fact he wasn’t out of gas when he left the game.
Holmes will face a new test in his next outing, when he’s scheduled to start on regular four days’ rest for the first time the next time through the rotation.
