Mets mash way to win over Giants to continue strong post-deadline stretch

Playing at Citi Field on Friday was a team that had been dismantled at the trade deadline, clearly a shell of the postseason threat it aspired to be and a club that might not mind the losses mounting considering the draft implications. That team faced the Mets, who have played their cleanest baseball in garbage time.  Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.The Giants sold at the trade deadline, batted a player named Turner Hill cleanup in the series opener and are still bottoming out, 10-19 since offloading every piece they could. The 2026 Mets have been a similar and different team, respectively: a big-money bust that threw in the towel, wiped itself off but now is emerging as fresh-faced and competitive. In a September matchup featuring two disappointments that are trending in opposite directions, the Mets used five home runs — two from Francisco Alvarez — and a gritty night from Nolan McLean to hold off the Giants, 10-6, in front of 29,377 who have been cheering for a team with more life since Aug.

3. The Mets (64-77) are 13 games under .500 but 17-11 since unloading nearly the entirety of their bullpen plus Clay Holmes, Freddy Peralta and Tyrone Taylor. Each victory brings them a bit closer to possible offseason frustration: Their first-round draft pick would be docked 10 spots (as it was last year) unless they are bad enough and lucky enough to land a top-six selection. David Stearns would argue each victory brings them closer to the team they want to be. “I am encouraged by what we’ve seen,” the president of baseball operations said before the game.“We’ve seen continued progression from a lot of players who are going to be here next year and for many years beyond. “And that is very encouraging for me and I think lifts the organization as a whole as we head into an offseason and ultimately construct our team for ’27.” Somewhere in th...