Mets' Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo setting the table at the top of the lineup

Francisco Lindor stepped into the lefty batter’s box to lead off the last of the first inning at Citi Field, while Brandon Nimmo waited on his turn for a swing at things by the on-deck circle.

Lineup business as usual.

The Mets had gone on an impressive 25-12 run and were in the third wild-card slot heading into Friday night’s opener of the final series before the All-Star break, a three-game set against Colorado.

And a big reason why they have made their move toward a season with a possible postseason attached is the potent 1-2 punch at the top of the order.

Nimmo had usually been leading off and Lindor had been batting third when Carlos Mendoza flipped them on May 18. Then the manager moved Nimmo into the two-hole for the first time on June 13.

“It’s good,” Lindor said, sitting in front of his locker before Friday night's game, which featured an appropriate giveaway — a Brandon Nimmo bobblehead doll. “It’s working.”

Lindor led off for the 50th time this season. Across the previous 49, the switch-hitter owned a slash line of .292/.361/.515. He had 18 doubles, nine homers, 28 RBIs, 16 walks, 10 steals and 37 runs to go with his .876 OPS.

“I’m doing exactly what I’ve been doing every single year, but it feels good to get the game going,” Lindor said. “It feels good to get on base and say, all right, let’s go, kind of like setting the tone.”

The Mets were 17-8 with Nimmo at No. 2 in the order. He owned a slash line of .333/.423/.688 in that spot with seven doubles, nine homers, 30 RBIs, 13 walks, three steals and 27 runs to go with his 1.111 OPS.

“He looks very comfortable,” Lindor said, “but I don’t think he’s hitting because of that.

“I think he was going to do it no matter what. You could put Nimmo right now in the eighth spot and he will still be Brandon Nimmo. You could put him in the leadoff hole and he’s still going to be him.”

Lindor also said he likes that Nimmo is stealing bases. Nimmo entered Friday with an 8-for-8 success rate.

“With his speed, he’s already in scoring position as soon as he’s on first base,” Lindor said. “But when he puts himself on second base, he puts himself in better scoring position.”

Mendoza had his reasons for batting Nimmo second.

“Obviously, the leadoff spot has been where he has hit throughout his career,” Mendoza said. “We put him for a short period of time in the three-hole.

“And then I just thought that two-hole because [of] not only the way he impacts the baseball, his ability to go the other way, the way he controls the strike zone, obviously the on-base [ability] there, and the lefty bat right behind Lindor, some speed in front of the big boys. And we’ve seen him be more aggressive on the bases.

“So, yeah, a complete player, a complete hitter. He’s having a pretty good first half.”

Nimmo arrived with a .252 average, 16 homers and 62 RBIs, including 30 in his previous 24 games. The 31-year-old outfielder’s career-high totals of 24 homers and 68 RBIs came last season. He had a two-out, three-run double in the fifth inning to give the Mets a 3-0 lead in their 7-0 win over Washington on Thursday.

“Just really glad that I’ve been able to come through for the team in those big moments and when we need them,” Nimmo said.

Lindor arrived with a .249 average, 26 doubles, 16 homers and 48 RBIs, plus 16 steals in 19 tries. The 30-year-old shortstop’s defense also has been typically golden.

But despite their production, Lindor and Nimmo were All-Star snubs. They also hadn’t been selected as replacements. And time is running out. The All-Star Game is on Tuesday.

“The guys that are going, they deserve it.” Lindor said. “I wish we were both going. I wish Nimmo went. But at the end of the day, it is what it is.”

Notes & quotes: The Mets placed lefty David Peterson on the paternity list and recalled righty reliever Eric Orze from Syracuse… Righty reliever Sean Reid-Foley (right shoulder impingement) played catch on Thursday and is scheduled for a bullpen session on Saturday. Mendoza said Reid-Foley is “trending in the right direction.”