Mets one win away from playoffs after Francisco Lindor powers victory over Brewers

MILWAUKEE — Francisco Lindor looked all the way back Sunday, just in time to help the Mets secure a needed victory before hopping a charter flight to Atlanta.

In his third game since returning from lower back tightness, Lindor jump-started a stagnant lineup by reaching base three times (which included a homer) in the Mets’ 5-0 victory over the Brewers at American Family Field.

After 160 games, it’s come to this for the Mets: Win once in their scheduled doubleheader against the Braves on Monday and admittance to the postseason as a wild card is granted. Get swept, and the dream is dead.

The doubleheader a day after the regular season concluded for the other 28 teams became necessary after two games between the NL East rivals were postponed by Hurricane Helene, and a full weekend of play resolved nothing beyond the Padres clinching the NL’s top wild-card spot. Two other spots remain open.

The Mets would have clinched Sunday with a win and Arizona loss, but the Diamondbacks refused to fold and beat the Padres, 11-2. The Braves lost to the Royals. It left the D’backs with 89 victories and the Mets and Braves each with 88. The Mets and Braves each hold the tiebreaker against the D’backs.

The Mets needed a big pitching performance and received one. David Peterson allowed only one hit over seven shutout innings in which he struck out eight and walked three.

The Brewers are locked into the No. 3 seed in the NL for the postseason and would face the Mets in the wild-card round beginning Tuesday if the Mets were to split the doubleheader, leaving Atlanta as the higher seed.

A sweep by the Mets in the doubleheader (making them the higher seed than the Braves) would set up Mets-Padres. Both best-of-three wild-card series begin Tuesday with the higher seed hosting all three games.

Brandon Nimmo delivered an RBI single in the first that gave the Mets a 1-0 lead. Lindor walked leading off the game and stole second before Nimmo’s single. Nimmo also stole second and Pete Alonso walked in the inning.

Francisco Alvarez’s RBI single in the second gave the Mets a 2-0 lead. J.D. Martinez doubled to start the rally — snapping an 0-for-36 drought — before Alvarez knocked in his 45th run of the season. Tyrone Taylor followed with a single before Lindor singled in the Mets’ third run.

Alvarez’s sacrifice fly in the fifth gave the Mets a 4-0 lead. Mark Vientos singled to begin the rally and Alonso was plunked before Starling Marte received an intentional walk.

Lindor homered in the sixth inning to widen the Brewers’ deficit to 5-0. The blast was No. 32 on the season for Lindor, who heard “M-V-P” chants from the fans seated by the third-base dugout.

Peterson escaped first-inning trouble by striking out Eric Haase after allowing a single to Jackson Chourio and walking Willy Adames. The lefty rolled from that point, surrendering the ball to Phil Maton for the eighth.

Maton allowed two base runners in the inning, but with Edwin Diaz warming in the bullpen, managed to record the final out. Diaz, who hadn’t pitched in a week, worked a scoreless ninth.