It’s hard to imagine the 2026 Mets season being remembered as anything but an unmitigated disaster.

But maybe the Mets will be able to salvage at least some dignity with a decent close to the year.

They took another step in that direction Sunday, completing a three-game sweep of the Nationals at Citi Field.

The 4-3 victory was their ninth in 12 games since the Aug. 3 deadline, when the Mets dismantled most of what was left of their bullpen and only didn’t do more to tear down the roster because there weren’t a lot of pieces other teams were interested in.

They finished off the Nationals thanks to a solid start by Christian Scott, who the Mets hope is a key part of next year’s rotation, and a three-run fourth inning that was capped by a two-run homer by Luis Torrens.

“Guys are playing good baseball,” interim manager Andy Green said. “In almost all the games, we’ve found ourselves down at some point [and] the mentality has flipped from ‘Here we go again’ to ‘Here we go again, this is what we do.’ I think there’s a big distinction between those two things and your expectations. I think your play follows that.”

Mets second baseman Brett Baty congratulates catcher Luis Torrens after he connected on a
two-run home run against the Washington Nationals in the fourth inning at Citi Field. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST

Scott, in the longest start of his major league career, faltered in the seventh.

He gave up a run and left a pair of runners on base before Nate Lavender entered and got CJ Abrams to pop out and whiffed Abimelec Ortiz.

Daniel Duarte pitched a scoreless eighth and Kodai Senga picked up his third straight save.

It was the Mets’ second sweep this month.

They also accomplished the feat in Cleveland immediately after the trade deadline.

Mets pitcher Christian Scott pitches in the first inning during a game against the
Nationals on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, at Citi Field in Queens, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post

And they likewise took a series in Pittsburgh, when the Pirates looked like a team ready to at least contend for the playoffs.

Even with their recent string of success, the Mets are 56-69.

They entered the day 11 games out of the last NL wild-card spot, with seven teams to get by to get there.

Still, the 13 games under .500 is the closest the Mets have been to the mark since they were 35-48 on June 27.

They’ve improved to 22-22 since Green took over in the dugout.

And they’ve been even better the past two weeks.

Mets second baseman Brett Baty reacts after connecting on a double against the Washington Nationals in the fourth inning on Sunday, August 16, 2026, at Citi Field in Queens, New York. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST

“I feel like we’re playing loose,’’ Scott said. “There’s an influx of energy with a lot of new guys. We’re having fun and not putting too much pressure on ourselves. And winning is more fun.”

Those fun times will be put to the test starting Monday, as their next five series are against teams currently in line for the playoffs.

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That starts Monday in Queens against the Padres, who are second in the NL wild-card race.

The San Diego series is followed by a trip to face the White Sox, first place in the AL Central, and then a home series against the Brewers, owners of the best record in the majors, and the AL West-leading Astros.

And the stretch ends with a trip to face the Rays, who are atop the AL East.

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But as Green noted, there’s more resilience in this group of late, as they found themselves in a 2-0 hole in the third inning before Jared Young and Brett Baty started the fourth-inning rally.

Torrens homered for the fourth time in his past six starts.

They added a run in the fifth on a two-out double by Young.

Scott kept the lead, but was hurt by a leadoff walk to Jorbit Vivas in the seventh.

A pair of one-out hits ended his day before the bullpen took over and finished the job.

Their best 12-game stretch in over a year still hasn’t gotten the Mets out of the NL East cellar, but it’s at least added some life to the second half of the season after four-plus months when nothing went right.