Pete Alonso homered to kick off a six-run fourth inning, and the New York Mets routed the Minnesota Twins 15-2 on Monday night. The game, the first of an interleague series between playoff contenders, turned into a big win for the Mets.
Jeff McNeil and Luis Torrens each had three RBIs for the Mets, who managed to bat around twice in a three-inning stretch.
“Sets the tone for the rest of the series,” Alonso said. “We just all of a sudden clicked.”
Every starter except newcomer Jesse Winker had at least one RBI. Winker, who was making his first start with the Mets, singled and scored before being taken out in the sixth inning.
Winker was acquired from Washington in a trade completed on Sunday morning, with minor league pitcher Tyler Stuart going to the Nationals.
“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 took away a home run from Ryan Jeffers.
Jose Quintana (6-6) allowed a run after just five pitches but then kept the Twins from scoring for the rest of his six innings. He won his second straight start and improved to 5-1 in his last six games.
After being shut down by Atlanta the previous two days, the Mets’ strong lineup got back on track. All 11 batters who played got at least one hit, and Torrens had three of the Mets’ 17 hits against six Twins pitchers.
The standout was outfielder Matt Wallner, who kept the Mets scoreless for the last 1 1/3 innings with slow pitches in his major league debut on the mound.
Alonso homered for the second game in a row, added a run-scoring double, and scored three times.
Brandon Nimmo and J.D. Martinez also had two RBIs each for the Mets, who have won 14 of their last 20 games. These were Nimmo’s first RBIs since the All-Star break.
