Twins 8, Mets 3 (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)
Mets Record: 57-51
Mets Streak: L1
Mets Last 10: 7-3
WP: Pablo Lopez (10-7)
LP: Luis Severino (7-4)
Seat On The Korner:
We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.
Today's Seat on the Korner goes to Twins' DH Matt Walner, who had a big day to help Minnesota avoid the series sweep. Walner went 2 for 5 with a a double, two runs scored, and a two-run homer in the third inning to provide a spark for the Twins' offense, which had scored a combined two runs over the first two games of this series.
Need To Know:
The Mets won the season series with Minnesota 2-1.
The Mets wrapped up their seven-game homestand with a record of 4-3.
The Mets finished July with a 17-10 record over the course of 27 games.
The Mets activated RHP Huascar Brazoban prior to today's game. LHP Matt Gage was optioned to AAA Syracuse to make room for Brazoban on the active roster.
Brazoban made his Mets' debut in the ninth inning, tossing a scoreless inning of relief.
The Mets announced that newly acquired Paul Blackburn will enter the starting rotation on Friday against the Los Angeles Angels. The move bumped Tylor Megill to the bullpen and he entered in relief of Severino this afternoon, giving up a run on three hits in two innings of work.
Lopez improved to 5-5 with a 5.32 ERA in 13 career starts against the Mets.
Severino is now 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA in three career starts against the Twins.
Mets' outfielder Brandon Nimmo left the game in the seventh inning after fouling a ball off his left foot in his last at bat.
Two days after seeing Tyrone Taylor rob a home run against them, Twins' left fielder Trevor Larnach returned the favor by soaring to steal Francisco Lindor's bid to lead off the bottom of the first with a bomb.
Turning Point:
The third inning where Severino unraveled is the real turning point of the game, but boiling it down to one play makes today's choice Walner's two-run bomb off Severino to extend Minnesota's lead to 6-2. With the way Lopez was pitching, pushing the deficit from two runs to four made life very difficult for the Mets' offense to operate.
Three Keys
Making His Mark
The Twins are surely happy not to have to deal with Mark Vientos anymore. Vientos accounted for the majority of the Mets' offense by launching a two-run homer in the second inning, his 16th of the year and his second consecutive game with a blast. The Mets have to be thrilled with Vientos' development as he is on pace to hit 24 homers and drive in 63 runs in 95 games, providing significant length to the lineup.
The Case For A Six Man Rotation
Mets' manager Carlos Mendoza indicated prior to the game that the team was planning to keep Tylor Megill stretched out as a starter while various beat reporters suggested the team is weighing its options with a six-man rotation. While that alignment would have benefited Kodai Senga if he was healthy, the Mets also have innings concerns with both Severino and Sean Manaea, who are both on pace to hit innings totals they haven't reached in a few years. That kind of workload can limit their effectiveness and today's outing from Severino provided a compelling argument for strategic usage of the six-man rotation when the Mets face lengthy portions of the schedule without an off day.
Bullpen Auditions
The Mets added Brazoban to their bullpen today and optioned newly acquired Tyler Zuber to AAA Syracuse, but there appears to be a numbers crunch approaching the bullpen with Sean Reid-Foley, Reed Garrett and Dedniel Nunez on pace to rejoin the unit over the next two weeks. Struggling veteran Adam Ottavino, along with lefties Danny and Alex Young, appear to be on the bubble. Danny Young and Ottavino both threw scoreless innings today and they will have to pitch well over the next ten days to maintain roster spots as the bullpen gets healthier.
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