New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo summed up the essence of stretch run baseball after his team put a 13-3 beating on the Philadelphia Phillies Monday night.

“It really is just going to come down to who plays really good baseball for this last five weeks, this last month,” Nimmo said. “Everything else is in the past.”

The big-spending Mets are embracing that belief while dreaming of a late run at the National League East-leading Phillies. New York moved within six games of Philly with their victory Monday night.

The Mets sat in the third NL wild card slot Tuesday, 2 ½ games up on the Cincinnati Reds and 5 ½ games up on the Cardinals in the chase for the final slot in the playoff bracket. That offers some consolation, but the Mets are aiming higher.

“We put ourselves in this positio

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