NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso homered to start a six-run fourth inning and the New York Mets blew out the Minnesota Twins 15-2 on Monday night, turning the opener of an interleague series between playoff contenders into a lopsided laugher.
Jeff McNeil and Luis Torrens each drove in three runs for the Mets, who batted around twice in a three-inning span.
“Sets the tone for the rest of the series,” Alonso said. “We just all of a sudden clicked.”
Every starter had at least one RBI besides newcomer Jesse Winker, who singled and scored in his first Mets start before getting lifted in the sixth.
Winker was acquired from Washington for minor league pitcher Tyler Stuart in a trade finalized Sunday morning.
“That was an offensive explosion. It was pretty awesome to watch and be a part of,” said Mets outfielder Tyrone Taylor, who had two hits off the bench and robbed Ryan Jeffers of a home run.
Jose Quintana (6-6) fell behind 1-0 after five pitches but kept Minnesota off the scoreboard after that. He threw six effective innings to win his second consecutive start and improve to 5-1 in his past six decisions.
Silenced at the plate by Atlanta the previous two days, the Mets’ potent lineup got back to banging the ball around. Each of the 11 batters who got into the game delivered at least one hit, and Torrens had three of New York’s 17 hits against six Twins pitchers.
The most successful was perhaps outfielder Matt Wallner, who held the Mets scoreless over the final 1 1/3 innings while floating 40-42 mph rainbows in his first major league appearance on the mound.
Alonso went deep for the second straight game. He added a run-scoring double and scored three times.
Brandon Nimmo and J.D. Martinez also had two RBIs for the Mets, who have won 14 of 20. They were Nimmo’s first RBIs since the All-Star break.
Minnesota permitted its most runs all season and was handed its largest defeat.
“Those are never pleasant,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “The game really ran away from us very quickly.”
“I’m not going to spend too, too much time worrying about all the things that I saw tonight,” he added. “Those were things I don’t expect to see a ton of going forward. Our guys will be ready to play tomorrow.”
New York racked up its most runs at home since scoring 17 against Philadelphia on Sept. 25, 2016. It was the Mets’ biggest margin of victory since a 14-1 win at Baltimore in June 2021.
The first seven batters reached safely in the fourth against rookie starter Simeon Woods Richardson (3-2), a former Mets farmhand. New York sent 10 batters to the plate that inning and 11 in a five-run sixth that made it 11-1.
“You preach weak contact. All went in their favor today. That’s how baseball works sometimes,” Woods Richardson said.
Jose Buttó pitched three innings for his second save, giving up a solo homer to Jeffers in the ninth. Jeffers was denied a leadoff homer in the seventh on a sensational grab by a leaping Taylor in right field.
“That was a sick catch,” Alonso said. “He’s electric out there on defense.”
Added a smiling Buttó: “Amazing, amazing. It’s late, but tomorrow maybe I get his lunch.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Twins: 3B Jose Miranda was not in the lineup but planned to work out before the game and seemed to be doing fine, Baldelli said. Miranda exited Sunday’s victory at Detroit in the first inning after getting hit in the cheek with a 95 mph fastball. It appeared his protective ear flap took most of the impact, and he walked off the field unaided after getting checked by the athletic training staff. ... SS Carlos Correa (right plantar fasciitis) hit off a tee and plans to take batting practice Tuesday. ... OF/1B Alex Kirilloff (back strain) took 50 swings in batting practice and ran on a treadmill. He’s been on the injured list since June 12.
Mets: C Francisco Alvarez sat out with a sore left shoulder but was available off the bench. ... CF Harrison Bader (right ankle) returned to the lineup after missing five games. He was hit on the ankle by an 83 mph slider in the sixth and shaken up, but remained in the game. ... RHP Sean Reid-Foley (shoulder impingement) is scheduled to make his next rehab appearance Wednesday, perhaps at Double-A Binghamton. ... Rookie reliever Dedniel Núñez (right pronator strain) hasn’t resumed throwing yet. “We’re still waiting for him to be symptom-free,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s getting better.”
UP NEXT
Twins: Rookie right-hander David Festa (1-1, 8.16 ERA) makes his third major league start in the middle game of the series Tuesday night. Festa was born in nearby New Jersey and attended Seton Hall.
Mets: LHP Sean Manaea (6-4, 3.74) is 5-1 with a 2.48 ERA against the Twins.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
