Mets take first series in nearly a month with win over inept Royals

If only the Mets could face a clueless team like the Royals more often.

If only they could get these kinds of results from the lineup more often.

If only starters like Sean Manaea could pitch deep into games like he did Thursday.

Maybe then it wouldn’t have been nearly a month since the Mets previously won a series, before they did so again by beating the Royals 7-3 on Thursday.

But in a lost season, like the one the Mets are in the midst of, you take what you can get.

And against Kansas City, after they dropped as ugly a game as a team can draw up Tuesday, they won two in a row and have scored at least six runs for the fifth straight game for the first time this season.

The offense was backed up by seven strong innings from Manaea in his longest outing of the season.

“It’s a good feeling,’’ A.J. Ewing said of the series win. “Guys are fired up. We’ll try to keep it going.”

Manaea gave up three runs — two earned —in seven innings and pitched well despite giving up a home run to Lane Thomas on the first pitch of the game.

“We need length out of our rotation,’’ interim manager Andy Green said. “We’re desperate for that. Outings like that set you up to win tomorrow’s baseball game, and that’s what we’ve been missing to some degree: having multiple outings like those in a week.”

Manaea, in his longest outing of the season, allowed a leadoff homer to Bobby Witt Jr. in the fourth, but the Mets came back with a five-run fifth to take command of the game.

Again, they got some help from the last-place Royals.

After Tyrone Taylor — in the game after Mark Vientos was removed with an injury from getting drilled in the right hand in the second inning — tied it with a leadoff homer in the fifth, the Mets rallied to take the lead.

Brett Baty followed with a single, and after Luis Torrens lined out, A.J. Ewing singled and Juan Soto walked to load the bases. Bo Bichette gave the Mets a 3-2 lead with a sacrifice fly.

Carson Benge, the recipient of a three-run Little League homer in Tuesday’s loss, got another gift. He flared a single to center to score Ewing easily, but Thomas’ throw from center to third base got away from Nick Loftin, which allowed Soto to score and let Benge get all the way to third.

Benge then came home on Francisco Alvarez’s single to make it 6-2, which knocked ex-Met Michael Wacha out of the game

Soto’s 21st homer of the season to open the bottom of the seventh extended the lead.

“It’s good game planning,’’ Jared Young said of what’s helped spark the offense. “Everyone is believing in each other.”

And for it to last, Young said the Mets have to “realize we’re being productive and have to keep doing the same thing.”

They’ll head into their final series before the All-Star break having won four of five as the Red Sox come to town, looking to resuscitate their season.

“We’re playing really good baseball,’’ Manaea said. “You see it offensively, pitching, from top to bottom. It’s fun to watch.”

That’s something that hasn’t been said often about these Mets.