Four homers back Clay Holmes in Mets’ convincing win over Cubs

The Mets came back home Friday, where they keep on winning.

They belted four homers in a 7-2 victory over the Cubs Friday night in front of 41,243 at Citi Field to open up a stretch of 15 of 21 games at home.

Most of those likely won’t result in a win as convincing as this one, as the Mets pounded right-hander Jameson Taillon — and got another strong outing from Clay Holmes — and improved to 14-3 in Queens.

Holmes allowed just one run over six innings to lower his ERA to 2.74 through eight starts.

And on Friday, he was aided by an offense that crushed Taillon for six runs — five earned — in just four innings.

It started with Francisco Lindor’s fourth leadoff homer of the season, this one from the left side on an 0-2 four-seam fastball from Taillon.

Brett Baty opened the bottom of the second with an opposite-field homer, his second of the season and first since being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse Wednesday.

Two batters later, Jeff McNeil — another lefty hitter — belted his second home run of the season to make it 3-0.

The Mets loaded the bases with one out in the third with a walk and two infield hits.

Luisangel Acuña followed with what should have been an inning-ending double play, but after stepping on second for the forceout, shortstop Dansby Swanson threw high to first to allow Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Alvarez to score for a 5-0 lead.

The Cubs got on the board in the fourth with Kyle Tucker’s 10th homer of the season.

It was the first time Holmes had allowed a home run this year.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS

But Juan Soto got the run back with a mammoth shot to right-center that hit the Shea Bridge, as he continued his recent hot streak with a homer that measured an estimated 434 feet.

It was Soto’s third homer in his last two games and eighth for the season.

Before the game, Carlos Mendoza pointed to Soto “maybe not hitting as many balls on the ground as earlier” as one of the reasons his numbers have begun to return to normal.

He’s now 11-for-30 with seven extra-base hits (two doubles and five homers) with seven walks in his last 38 plate appearances.

“He’s a special hitter,” the manager said. “We knew at some point it was going to turn around. … He’s using the whole field and getting the ball off the ground a little more.”

Interestingly, Taillon hadn’t given up a homer to a left-handed hitter in any of his seven previous starts this season, but Mendoza said he wanted to load the lineup with lefties to face the former Yankee.

The thought process resulted in Mark Vientos sitting for a second straight game to allow McNeil to DH after he left Wednesday’s game with a hamstring cramp, with Baty at third in consecutive games.

The moves paid off, as the Mets have won two in a row since losing five of seven in one of the few rough patches they’ve hit this season.

Alvarez continued his solid performance from behind the plate, ending the top of the second by throwing out ex-Mets prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong trying to steal second.

Alvarez has thrown out four of the 10 attempted base stealers on the season.

He has thrown out just 15.8 percent in his career.

The only slipup came from Dedniel Núñez, who had another shaky outing.

After allowing three runs without getting an out in his first appearance since returning from the forearm tightness that ended his 2024 season, Nunez walked two batters without completing the eighth inning.

Reed Garrett got Seiya Suzuki on a long flyout to left-center to end the threat.

José Butto allowed a homer to Michael Busch to start the ninth.