Terry Collins believes the Mets are back on track after a successful series win against the Atlanta Braves.  The Mets won the final three games of the four game set with the help of Yoenis Cespedes, Steven Matz and Seth Lugo making their returns from the disabled list.

“I think we’re going to start seeing what we expected,” Collins said after yesterday’s 2-1 win over Atlanta. (Mark Carig, Newsday)

With a 28-33 record, Collins knows the Mets have a tough road ahead of them if they expect to return to the postseason. They are 9.5 games behind the Washington Nationals in the National League East, and they are facing a critical 11 stretch against the Cubs, Nationals and Dodgers starting tonight.

“Certainly the next 11 days are pretty big,” Collins said. “We play very good teams, teams that are playing well, and that’s the big leagues. And if we’re going to get back in this, we got to beat them.” (Kristie Ackert, NY Daily News)

Yoenis Cespedes energized the team with a grand slam in the 9th inning of Saturday’s afternoon game that gave the Mets’ a commanding 6-1 lead. It was his first game back from the disabled list after missing six weeks with a strained hamstring and sore quadriceps.

“He’s a special guy,” Collins said of Cespedes, according to James Wagner of the NY Times.

Steven Matz and Seth Lugo then followed with solid efforts in their first starts of the season. They both fired seven innings of one run ball, giving the Mets the length and effectiveness they lack from their starters all season.

“It’s a huge lift,” Collins said about Matz and Lugo. “Tremendous lift for the club to have those two guys come back and really, really give us a shot in the arm with the pitching, really save the bullpen and give us big innings. Both did a great job.”

Carig points out that the last time the Mets had two pitchers go seven innings in consecutive starts was on April 19-21.

“Losing {Noah}Syndergaard was a big hit,” catcher Rene Rivera said. “Now we’ve got two of the guys back and we’ve got our rotation strong again, giving us a chance to go deep in the game [so] we don’t overuse the bullpen.”

Jacob deGrom will look to keep the Mets’ momentum rolling in tonight’s game at Citi Field against the Cubs. DeGrom was roughed up in his last two starts, allowing 15 runs in eight innings, but Collins believes he is ready to put his struggles behind him, along with the rest of the staff.

“It’s starting to get to be where it needs to be,” Mets manager Terry Collins said of the Mets rotation. “Tomorrow is a big one for Jake (deGrom) in my opinion. He’s reared up to get out there.”