New York Mets fans rejoice as team wins back-to-back games for first time in nearly a month: "It’s a long season. Don’t count us out!"

Don't look now, but the New York Mets just won back-to-back games against the best team in baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays. It was the first time since April 20-21 that the Mets won two games in a row, as New York is creeping closer to the .500 mark.

The Mets boosted their record to 22-23 by defeating the Rays 3-2 on Thursday. New York also beat Tampa Bay 8-7 in 10 innings on Wednesday on a Pete Alonso three-run home run after losing the series opener on Tuesday.

Of course, the New York Mets fanbase is known far and wide as a down-to-earth, well grounded group of supporters. They're never known to get too high or two low, and always take things in stride.

Not.

After taking two games from the team with the best record in MLB, Mets fans are already thinking about October once again.

It's been a rough season for the New York Mets. The team lost five of nine games against four of the worst teams in baseball – Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals – and are still far underperforming the organization's league-high payroll. Even with the modest two-game winning streak, the Mets are still six games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East.

The Rays, however, are coming back down to earth at a rapid rate after their scorching start. Tampa Bay has failed to win its last three series, falling 2-1 to the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets and splitting a four-game set against the New York Yankees.

The team has a losing record in its last 10 games, although it still has baseball's best record at 32-13. However, the Orioles have cut the Rays' lead in the American League East to just 3.5 games.

When it comes to underachieving MLB ballclubs, the Mets may just about be ready to hand off the mantle of "most underperforming" to the San Diego Padres.

The Padres, a fashionable pick to possibly win the organization's first World Series title this season, have won just two of their last 10 games. San Diego is 20-24 and eight games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West race. In fact, the Padres are just one game better than the last-place Colorado Rockies.

New York Mets host Cleveland Guardians next

Pete Alonso of the New York Mets tags out Harold Ramirez of the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Mets welcome the Cleveland Guardians to Citi Field for a three-game weekend series on Friday.