Three Homers Not Enough In 8-4 Loss To Twins

The Mets kicked off the second game of their three-game set against the Twins on Saturday afternoon in danger of losing the series. Despite taking an early 2-0 lead and launching three homers, the Mets dropped the game and the series to the Twins.

David Peterson took the mound for the Mets and asserted himself early against the American League Central-leading Twins. After he hit Donovan Solano with a pitch and allowed a single to Jorge Polanco, Peterson struck out the next three batters to end the first.

Peterson carried his strikeout prowess into the second inning as well. He struck out Kyle Farmer to begin the inning, allowed a single to Ryan Jeffers, and then struck out Matt Wallner for the second out. Peterson recorded the first five outs on strikeouts, the first time he had ever done so in his career.

However, unlike the first inning, Peterson wasn’t able to work around his baserunners. With two outs and Jeffers on first, Willi Castro doubled to put runners on second and third. Solano followed with a single to left field which scored both runners and tied the game at 2-2.

The Twins got to Peterson again in the third inning. After retiring Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa for the first two outs, Peterson gave up a double to Jordan Luplow and a single to Farmer to give the Twins a 3-2 lead that they never relinquished.

After recording five strikeouts in the first 1 2/3 innings, Peterson picked up three more across his final three innings. He struck out eight Twins and allowed three runs in six innings pitched, matching his season-high strikeout total in a game. Overall, it was an encouraging start for Peterson. He recorded a quality start against the playoff-bound Twins and only walked one batter.

Drew Smith came in to relieve Peterson in the seventh. Castro led off the inning with a single but was thrown out by Francisco Álvarez for the first out. Smith struck out Polanco for the second out after walking Alex Kirilloff, but the wheels fell off from there and Smith collapsed.

With two outs, Lewis singled and Correa walked to load the bases. Max Kepler then barely missed a home run by a foot, tripling off the top of the wall to clear the bases and give the Twins a 6-2 lead. To add insult to injury, Farmer followed with another extra-base hit to extend the Twins’ lead to 7-2.

Pete Alonso goes to the second deck for his 43rd home run! pic.twitter.com/n4ztVPe8EJ

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 9, 2023

Smith’s blowup performance raised his ERA to 4.56. The right-hander has been inconsistent in 2023 and has regressed to the mean. He recorded a 3.33 ERA in 2022, which was a full run higher than his 4.33 FIP. This year, his numbers are more in line with his 1.42 WHIP.

Meanwhile, the Mets’ offense couldn’t keep up with the Twins. Brandon Nimmo led off the game with an opposite-field home run, and then Daniel Vogelbach and Jeff McNeil manufactured a second run in the first inning. That would be all from the Mets until the eighth inning, which by then they trailed by five runs.

Pete Alonso homered for the 43rd time in the eighth inning to bring the Mets within four runs. Alonso has now hit four home runs in seven games in September after hitting nine in the month of August. He is currently on pace to hit 50 home runs again after becoming the first Met to reach 50 homers in 2019.

DJ Stewart also homered in the eighth inning for the Mets. The former-Orioles’ first-round pick has established himself as a legitimate option for the Mets in 2024 after he slashed .300/.378/.727/1.106 with eight homers in August. He now has two home runs in four September games.

Castro added a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth to extend the Twins’ lead to 8-4. The score held there, as the Mets were retired in order in the bottom of the ninth.

With their loss on Saturday, the Mets dropped the series to the Twins. The Mets have now lost eleven games this season where they have hit three home runs. They are now 29-44 on the road.

Player of the Game

David Peterson recorded a quality start for the Mets on Saturday. He struck out eight Twins, walked only one batter, and handed the bullpen the ball while only down by one run. Peterson lowered his ERA to 5.34 after his start.

On Deck

The Mets will attempt to avoid a sweep to the Twins on Sunday. Tylor Megill (5.28 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets, while the Twins will counter with old National League East foe Pablo López (3.64).

First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. The game will be televised on SNY and can be listened to on WCBS 880.

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