Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets (88-52) woke up on Saturday morning without at least a share of first place in the NL East for the first time since April 11. They had to show a sense of urgency in their game on Saturday night in their quest to regain the division lead. That they did.

The Mets’ offense broke out in a big way, riding an outstanding fourth inning to an 11-3 victory over the Miami Marlins (57-81). The lineup combined for 16 hits, Carlos Carrasco was much better in his second start back from the injured list, and the Mets pulled themselves back into a tie atop the division standings.

Not much has gone right for the Mets this past week, and the first inning did not provide much hope that this trend was going to be interrupted. The Mets collected three hits in the top of the first inning but failed to cash in a run against Marlins starter Pablo López, while Carrasco gave up a run in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double from Garrett Cooper. The Mets had not won a game in which their opponent scored first since August 21 against the Philadelphia Phillies, so this early run could have proved insurmountable.

Instead, the Mets were able to tie the game in the third inning on an RBI double from Jeff McNeil. Carrasco worked his way through the bottom of the third quickly, settling down after that rocky first inning.

The top of the fourth inning started innocently enough, with the first two batters reaching base ahead of Eduardo Escobar. The hottest hitter in the Mets lineup, Escobar had already extended his hitting streak to eight games with a second inning single. He topped that in his fourth inning at-bat, lining an RBI double for his second hit of the night.

James McCann followed up with an RBI single, and two batters later Francisco Lindor recorded an RBI single of his own. Lindor was the sixth batter of the inning, and all six of those batters reached base. López finally got an out on a sacrifice fly from McNeil and struck out Pete Alonso for the second out, but he walked the bases loaded and departed with his team down 5-1.

Mark Canha, who led off the inning with a walk, went down in the count against López’s replacement Andrew Nardi. He was able to battle back in the at-bat, and he ultimately rocketed a grand slam, the first of his career, to extend the lead to 9-1.

That grand slam capped off an extraordinary inning for the offense. The Mets scored eight runs in an inning for the first time all season; they had only reached that eight-run mark in one of their last 16 games.

López ended up allowing eight runs on 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings, walking three batters and only striking out two. The Mets have had López’s number all season, as the righty has an 11.34 ERA against them.

The Mets tacked on another run in the fifth inning courtesy of Lindor, who launched a solo homer to extend the lead to 10-1. It was Lindor’s third hit of the day, and it pushed him up to 22 home runs and 91 RBI on the year. Lindor is now one RBI shy of tying his career high, set back in the 2018 season.

Carrasco was handed a massive lead, but he maintained his sharpness throughout his entire outing. He fired off six strong innings, allowing just one run on four hits and striking out six. He retired 11 straight batters at one point, and he looked far better in his second start back from the injured list than he did in his first start back last week. He also picked up his 14th win of the season, the first time he has reached that mark since the 2018 season.

Escobar capped off a big night with a solo homer of his own in the top of the seventh inning, making it an 11-1 game. Escobar and Lindor both finished the game a triple shy of the cycle.

The Mets turned to the bullpen for the bottom of the seventh, bringing the rookie Bryce Montes de Oca into a very low-stakes scenario. Montes de Oca surrendered a run on three hits in the frame, but he also struck out three batters thanks to an electric sinker that touched 102 mph.

Trevor Williams pitched the eighth, giving up a run on a wild pitch but maintaining his team’s sizable lead at 11-3. Álex Claudio fired off a hitless ninth inning to close out the night in his second Mets appearance.

The Mets called up Mark Vientos before Saturday’s game, and he will have a chance to make his debut on Sunday with a lefty on the mound for the Marlins. Vientos has an .877 OPS and 24 homers in Triple-A this year.

Player of the Game: Francisco Lindor

The big bats in the Mets lineup have been majorly slumping, and all eyes were on Lindor to step up after a disappointing performance on Friday. He responded with one of his better games of the year, collecting three hits including a home run,  scoring three runs, and driving in two more. This Mets team desperately needs Lindor to return to form, and Saturday’s game is a great sign that he might be turning that corner.

Final line for Lindor: 3-for-5, HR (22), 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R

On Deck:

The Mets will go for a series victory when they match up against the Miami Marlins on Sunday afternoon at loanDepot Park. First pitch is set for 1:40 pm ET, and the game will be broadcast on SNY. The Mets will have Taijuan Walker on the mound, while the Marlins will run out Jesús Luzardo.