The Mets answered back from one of the worst losses of the season to having an all-around team win against the Miami Marlins on Friday night, and Brandon Nimmo was in the middle of all of it.

Nimmo and Jeff McNeil both homered in the Mets’ 7-3 win in the series opener but for the former, the blast feels like a long time coming. In fact, Friday’s blast not only broke an 0-for-17 slump, but it was Nimmo’s first home run since July 10.

“When you’re looking at him he had rhythm today,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of Nimmo. “The timing was better and it’s going to allow him to get into position to make really good swing decisions and he knows the strike zone better than anybody. It was rhythm, on time and the way the barrel was going through the hitting zone was different. It was good to see.”

“Felt good to help out tonight and that’s all I want to do is help us win and try and get into the playoffs so we can get our shot, be the hot team and make our run,” Nimmo said. “Maybe I got some of those demons out of me being sick yesterday. It felt good to help out tonight.”

A day after missing a game due to a stomach virus, Nimmo finished 2-for-5 but it was his three-run homer to cap off a six-run fourth inning that put the game away. He launched a first-pitch slider over the plate into the second deck in right field for his 17th homer of the season.

That shot is a great sign for a player who has been mired in a slump since the All-Star break. Nimmos’ batting average has dipped from .248 to .228 after Friday’s game and he has hit just one home run and driven in seven runs since July 14.

The 31-year-old has been open about his struggles at the plate recently. But he’s continued to work with his coaches and although Friday’s home run felt good, he doesn’t feel like a burden has lifted.

“The worse you do the the less comfortable you feel [at the plate],” Nimmo said. “Today is a step in the right direction. We’re working every single day trying to be better in the game. We’ll continue to do that.”

“It’s been hard for him and he’s grinding. But he never stops working,” Mendoza said of Nimmo’s struggles. “Even in the series in Seattle when it was hard for him and he wasn’t feeling it, he wanted to keep going. I say, ‘do you want a day? And he says ‘no I need to be out there.’ And that says a lot about who he is.

"When he’s not feeling his best, he still wants to post because he knows he can help the team win a game in so many ways whether it’s on defense or by walking. That’s the type of player he is. He’s been really consistent and he’s one of our leaders.”

And while Nimmo tries to get back on track offensively, the Mets are looking to do the same.

Friday’s win puts them at 63-59 but still behind the Atlanta Braves for the final NL Wild Card spot. However, the Mets offense, which has been the team’s strength, has seemingly revitalized in recent days.

After scoring just one run in the series against the Mariners, the Mets have scored six or more runs in three of their last four games.

“What I would hope is we’re coming to a stretch where we’re swinging the bats really well and a few guys doing it,” Nimmo said of the team’s recent success. “When you have more than one guy doing it, you can do some damage. We’ll build on tonight, definitely think it’s a step in the right direction.”

The Mets and Nimmo will look to keep that stretch going on Saturday against Miami.

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