Soto's grand slam ignited the New York Mets' lineup, leading to a sweep of the Marlins and a four-game winning streak.

Three wins cannot compensate for the poor performance of the prior 56 games. Even in June, it's a stretch to label the New York Mets as a formidable offensive team.

However, when Juan Soto's grand slam sailed over the right-center fence in the sixth inning, a ray of hope emerged. In the three-game sweep of the Marlins, including today's 10-1 blowout in the finale, the Mets scored 25 runs total. This was their most impressive offensive output in a three-game series this season, nearly surpassing the combined runs from their four-game sets earlier this year against the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals.

Every Mets starting batter reached base at least once, and eight of the nine scored at least one run, with Soto's sixth-inning grand slam leading the charge. Carson Benge opened the game with a leadoff home run, and Marcus Semien added a two-run homer for the Mets. The team has now won four straight games.

"The whole lineup came up with an aggressive mindset," Soto said.

By the time Soto stepped into the batter's box, the Mets were already up by five runs. Rookie Josh White walked three batters in the sixth inning to load the bases, and Soto then pounced on a hanging slider, sending it over the wall. It was his ninth home run in the last 15 games, and the rout was on.

Nolan McLean pitched the first five innings to earn the win, navigating through five walks and a hit batter. David Peterson, recently moved to the bullpen, handled the remaining innings and recorded his first career regular-season save. The Mets also benefited from another dazzling catch by A.J. Ewing, who crashed into the center-field wall while chasing a potential RBI double in the fourth inning.

But what really made things easy was the offense. After scoring only two runs in three games on the road against the Marlins last weekend, the Mets returned home and multiplied that output by more than twelve times. According to multiple players, they made a series of adjustments specifically for this opponent after the first series and executed them with full focus this weekend. "All weekend, we were chasing fastballs in the zone but only swinging at pitches we could hit effectively," said Semien, whose solo home run was a perfect example—he jumped on a 95-mph inside sinker on the first pitch. "That's why I love this game," he said. "We have about eight months to train as hard as we can, and then when you step onto the field, the ball seems to slow down, and your timing is just right."

The rally before Soto's home run was also a classic. With two outs and nobody on, Semien drew a walk, Luis Torrens was hit by a pitch, and Benge walked again. Even Bo Bichette, known for his aggressive swinging, showed rare patience, fouling off several two-strike pitches before finally getting one he could handle and walking to load the bases.

"Last weekend we had a tough series against the same team, and the offense was almost nonexistent," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "It's really gratifying to see the guys make quick adjustments and perform like this throughout the weekend."

The challenge this week will be significantly greater, as the Mets head to Seattle to face a Mariners pitching staff that ranks fifth in the league in ERA. However, the quality of at-bats the Mets displayed against the Marlins this weekend would work against any opponent, provided they can maintain a consistency they have yet to show all season. In Queens, no one doubts that Soto can keep hitting home runs. The key is for the rest of the Mets' hitters to stay hot.

Entering this series, the Mets ranked 27th in the majors in runs per game, and the struggles of players like Bichette and Semien were well known. But at least over this past weekend, they finally looked like the elite lineup everyone expected at the start of the season.

"Everyone knows what to do," Soto said. "We had a plan and executed it throughout the series."

Now, they need to sustain this performance for a week, two weeks, a month, or even longer. If they can do that, the remainder of this season will look completely different.