Soto's first leadoff HR sparks Mets' outburst at chilly Coors 

DENVER -- Not even a May snowstorm can cool these Mets.

Imagine reading that sentence one week ago, as the Mets headed West having lost 17 of their previous 20 games, with several key hitters on the injured list and no obvious path to improvement. Many of the problems that plagued them back then still linger today. But give the Mets credit: In spite of it all, they’ve won four of their last five, returning from a 48-hour weather hiatus on Wednesday to down the Rockies, 10-5 at Coors Field.

Juan Soto hit the first leadoff homer of his career, and Marcus Semien also homered as part of a four-hit day to back Freddy Peralta, who delivered five shutout innings for the victory. That guaranteed the Mets a second consecutive series victory for the first time this season.

“We can’t sit here and think about the past,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “It’s one day at a time. But it’s good to see the guys playing loose, with confidence, just playing their games.”

After winning the opener at Coors on Monday, the Mets had to wait two days to play again due to a storm that dumped several inches of snow on Denver between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. Not even that unseasonable force of nature could arrest the Mets’ momentum. Batting leadoff for the second straight game and just the fourth time in his career, Soto opened the game with an opposite-field homer against Michael Lorenzen to keep their flow going.

“To punch first in the first inning … it’s always great,” Soto said.

Mets hitters didn’t really begin pouring it on until the fourth, when Carson Benge continued his hot hitting with a two-run single off Lorenzen. Two innings later, the Mets plated four more runs on an eight-batter rally that included RBI hits from Francisco Alvarez and Bo Bichette. Semien added to the scoring with a two-run homer in the ninth, capping the Mets' first four-hit game of the season.

“You want to have good games in this ballpark,” Semien said. “It’s a good place to hit. It’s a big outfield. The ball carries. Juan starting off with a home run was good for everybody just to feel like it’s going to be a good day. And it definitely was.”

Every Mets batter reached base at least once, with six of them recording multi-hit games. That was enough cushion for the Mets to survive even the inevitable Coors Field comeback, which the Rockies attempted with four in the sixth off reliever Tobias Myers and another in the ninth against Sean Manaea.

Even with that blip forcing closer Devin Williams into what was once an eight-run game, the Mets continued providing evidence that they have turned some sort of corner. Last week, on their first morning of a nine-game road trip, president of baseball operations David Stearns gave Mendoza a public vote of confidence, saying he didn’t view the Mets’ poor April “as a manager problem.” If nothing else, the statement took pressure off Mendoza and his players, who no longer had to answer daily questions about the manager’s status.

Whether coincidentally or not, the Mets have lost just once since that time.

“I think it’s what I was personally expecting,” Peralta said. “I think this is who we are. We just have to keep it that way -- that’s it. Without thinking about the past.”

To be clear, the Mets’ sample of winning baseball has been small, and it’s come against two of the worst teams in baseball -- the Angels and Rockies. Wednesday’s offensive outburst occurred within the notorious confines of Coors Field, and the victory still contained its share of warts.

But a win is a win. These are the types of games the Mets must win if they hope to claw their way back into the playoff picture. They are also the types of games the Mets were unable to win earlier this season; it was less than two weeks ago that this same Rockies team swept them over three games back in New York.

“They’re playing the game the way they’re capable,” Mendoza said. “There’s a lot of smiles on their faces. It’s good to see them having fun.”

As if on cue, in the moments following the victory, catcher Luis Torrens approached Peralta to ask the last time he had earned a victory. Opening Day, Peralta responded.

“He was surprised,” Peralta said, laughing later about the exchange.

He paused, before adding: “Me too.”