The New York Mets and Minnesota Twins finished their series on Wednesday afternoon. Heading into the matinee matchup, the Mets had a 2-0 series lead over Minnesota and were looking for the sweep.
The Twins sent right-handed pitcher Pablo Lopez (9-7, 4.72 ERA) to the mound. He was opposed by Mets right-handed pitcher Luis Severino (7-3, 3.93 ERA).
However, the Mets were unable to complete the three-game sweep, as Minnesota defeated New York 8-3 at Citi Field on a day when Severino was not at his best.
After Mets pitching held the Twins to just two runs in 18 innings between Monday and Tuesday, Severino couldn’t keep them down on Wednesday. He gave up six earned runs on six hits (two home runs), walked two and struck out just two in a short three innings.
Byron Buxton was the first Twins’ hitter to get to Severino early, hitting a solo home run in the top of the second inning, giving Minnesota their first lead of the day. The Mets struck back in the bottom half of the inning on a two-run home run by Mark Vientos, who has heated up in July.
But in the top of the third, things got really messy for Sevy. He gave up three singles in a row to the Twins, two of which came with runners on, leading to RBIs for Minnesota that gave them a 3-2 lead. He then gave up an RBI double to Royce Lewis and a two-run home run to Matt Wallner to extend Minnesota’s lead to 6-2.
Photo by Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The Mets did not send Sevy back out for the fourth. Instead, they turned to the bullpen for long relief in hopes of settling down the Twins’ lineup and giving the Mets’ offense a chance to get back into the game.
The Mets’ bullpen pitched well, picking up six innings following Severino’s struggles.
Tylor Megill (2-5, 5.05 ERA) came on in the fourth. Over the course of two innings, he gave up just one earned run on three hits and struck out two. In the fifth, he gave up an RBI double to Carlos Santa that extended the Twins’ lead to 7-2.
Danny Young, Adam Ottavino, Phil Maton, and Huascar Brazoban each pitched an inning of relief. Young, Ottavino and Brazobán each tossed a scoreless inning.
Maton gave up one earned run on one hit and a hit-by-pitch in the eighth, giving the Twins an 8-2 lead.
Brazoban, in his first inning of relief as a Met after being traded from Miami, pitched one scoreless inning and struck out two.
The Mets’ offense was not able to get much going after Vientos’ two-run home run in the second. They got one run back in the bottom of the ninth, but the Twins’ pitchers kept the Mets’ offense quiet.
Brandon Nimmo left the game in the seventh inning after fouling a ball off his foot. After the game, Mendoza said Nimmo is fine and is expected to paly on Friday.
Mark Vientos is Wednesday’s player of the game after homering for the second straight game. He was 1-for-3 with his 16th home run of the season and knocked in two runs.
The Mets have an off day on Thursday. They will use the day to travel to Los Angeles for a three-game series against the Angels, which starts on Friday at 9:38 p.m. ET. Right-hander Paul Blackburn will make his Mets debut.
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